Picture of a Stranger

Ohhhhh boy. All day long I was wondering how on EARTH I was going to get a picture of a stranger. Good grief, what a scary proposition! And my day was going to consist of "go straight to school, go straight from school to Fairwood." Not a lot of stranger material there. Well, everyone on the road... So I have some really pathetic shots of people in the drive-through at Dunkin Donuts, some kid riding his bike across traffic, and basically things that showed my intimidation at the thought of approaching a stranger with camera in hand.

Thus it was that I found myself on the way to Fairwood without a good stranger picture. But I had my camera in my lap as I drove, just in case... As I was approaching the NH line, I saw a couple of girls broken down beside the road. Hm, thought I, this is probably at least as good as the DD drive through picture. So I surreptitiously held my camera out beside me and took a picture as I rolled to a stop at the red light. I clicked the little button to see how my un-aimed shot worked. Here is what I saw:

(I recommend aiming. The results are generally more satisfactory.)

Suddenly my peripheral vision caught the two girls approaching my car. I figured they were going to ask if they could use my phone or something...

Until I realized it was MELISSA AND SARA!!! They, too, were driving to Fairwood, and Sara's coolant was leaking profusely due to (we suspect) a burst hose, which is why they were stopped. Oy vay! So I dodged over to the side with them. I had "happened" to drive by about two minutes after they stopped... and they had "happened" to notice me (which is a jolly good thing, since I just saw "two girls broken down." Oh my word - I know I'm not observant, but this is a BIT MUCH!).

Shortly a policeman pulled up to help, and I saw my golden opportunity. I mean, it doesn't get much more golden than that! So, Sara dear, I'm really sorry about your car and all (luckily she had great AAA and got a free tow to Fairwood!), but THANK YOU for allowing me a legitimate picture of a stranger!

And so, I submit my picture of a stranger (sorry it's a bit late...):

a

Outside, Looking In (Ya, I can't read...)

I spent all day thinking I was supposed to find an "outside looking in" picture. And so devoted was I to this challenge that I even took my camera to my students' family's house where I'd been invited for dinner. While there, I took this shot, looking through the fence into their back yard.

Black & White

This light fixture has got to have been photographed at least 200 times, by more people than just myself. You get a digital camera in your hands and you are inexorably drawn to it!

GOOD ENOUGH! (she decreed after many varied attempts)

Self-portraits are funny things... But that's what Liane's photo challenge dictated, so I'm rising to the challenge! (And again I say, Yay Liane!)

OOOPS!

Ya, so I was writing a blog post and suddenly realized that this is Liane's photo challenge week (yay, Liane!). So here is my contribution for yesterday, which was "Corners of my home" day:)

The Lessons I've Taught, Etc.

First of all, I just want everyone to know that new blogger and I have a more peaceful relationship now. He hasn't lost any of my posts for quite awhile, and I haven't verbally abused him so much. So that's nice.

Now, for the topic of this post:
I took a day off of work last week to go to the Feast, and the seat-work I left for my 9th graders was to write a mini essay on someone who has influence their lives. This was supposed to tie in to Faria's influence on Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo. When I returned from the Feast I found that one of the students hadn't been able to decide who to write about, and his classmates had told him to write about MY influence on his life! The results made me laugh out loud:) Here they are:

"Throughout my life I have been influenced greatly by many people in many ways. One person who inspired me greatly is my teacher Miss Murray. She has inspired me mostly in two ways. These two ways were being nice to my friends and to not look at the keyboard.

First, she has influenced me to be nice to my friends. Every day when I teased my friends she would tell me not to and give me a Correction Sheet. By doing this it was like she was trying to show me that “Everything has an equal and opposite reaction” as the great CJ once said. This was like how Faria influenced Dantes because he tried to tell him he shouldn’t kill his betrayers because sooner or later he would get in trouble.

Lastly, my great teacher Miss Murray influenced me to stop looking at the keyboard while typing. This has influenced me greatly and has made my grade constantly rise. This relates to how Faria influenced Dantes because the Abbe kept trying to explain that you don’t have to do what you feel like you’re being forced to do. In Dantes’ case however it concerned whether or not he should kill the betrayers or if he should let them live.

In conclusion, my life has been influenced greatly by my teacher Miss Murray. She influenced me to be kind and considerate to the people around me, and to not look at my keyboard while typing. Like the Abbe influenced Dantes, my teacher influenced me. Thank you!"

There you have it, people! You can't get much more inspiring than "Stop looking at the keys!" So, I urge you, continue to inspire those around you not to look while typing. You never know when those words will sink in and affect a life forever! Be encouraged! :)

And now, speaking of inspiring, I leave you with some pictures of people I love and admire for being wonderful people and wonderful parents!

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Happy Birthday to my

favoritest, bestest, dearest

Melissa!!!

Blurbs

Hurrah for the first day of Spring! It was a lovely day, too - nice and warm (relatively) and sunny. Yay!

Today one of my students told me she thought I was 21. Hee hee.

I enjoyed a bonus day at the Feast yesterday, and felt so rich and lucky for one more day! It was a good day, and I especially enjoyed the prayer meeting. There is something amazing about being able to work with God in that way.

Today one of my students asked another teacher how he could know he was saved, and the teacher ummed and ahhhed and said everyone doubts, but one way to tell is by your fruit. OY VAY!!! Everybody does NOT doubt! I do NOT doubt! I wish I could have jumped up and yelled "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!" If you believe on Him who was sent, you ARE SAVED! I hope it comes up in my class so I can give the UN Reformed Baptist answer! Just believe what the Bible says!

For those of you who haven't heard, TJ and I drove to Fairwood for the Feast last Friday in a roaring blizzard. Fun times. It took me 5.5 hours from school. HOWEVER, if TJ hadn't been driving it would have probably taken me 7 or 8 hours. The roads were practically non-existent and I would have been going 15mph the whole way. But TJ blazed confidently through in our 4-wheel drive, and I am SO THANKFUL for HIM! He definitely made hero status with that one.

Oh. By the way, all of my single friends... (hee hee hee) Yesterday in prayer meeting we were praying about the issue of Christian marriages, and as a little subtopic John Lackie (who also holds hero status) brought up the issue of all of the single people in the Kingdom. He wasn't concerned about it or anything, and wasn't applying pressure or anything (I wasn't even blushing!), but he was just saying that if there was something getting in the way of God's will, we should pray that something OUT of the way. So we prayed about it! And Gretchen turned to me and whispered "I dare you to pray." And I whispered back "You're on." And I did! I carefully prayed for "my friends." Hee hee hee. So WATCH OUT all of you! There were some good prayers, including one for a "season of weddings." Start picking your guest lists, people!

Okay, that's enough blurbage for now I guess... Per tradition (sort of) I leave you with some pics from our Feastly Friendly's Trip:



Sorry people... blogger is being feisty about posting pics so the whole group isn't represented...

Thoughts While Driving Home

Spring is such a surprise - like today when I got into my car and discovered that I wasn't shivering as I drove out of the school's driveway!

Motorcycles started emerging, and I enjoyed, as I have before, the fact that people on motorcycles wave to other people on motorcycles whether they know them or not. I just think that is the coolest thing! If I rode a motorcycle people would think I was not all there, because I'd be driving down the road grinning like an idiot since I'd just waved to some stranger on a motorcycle. I was grinning like an idiot in my car as it was, but at least people can't see you as well when you're in a car. That's the only reason I don't have a motorcycle, of course.

It's interesting how there are those little subcultures - subcultures that create the instant bond moment. It reminded me of when Amy, Lindsay, and I were in San Francisco and saw a Red Sox shirt walk by. (Well, it was a guy in a Red Sox shirt, actually.) What an instant connection! A connection that KJ has attested to more than once since going down south.

You know what's weird? The word "mouse" when used to mean a computer mouse, and the word "fly" when used to mean a fly ball in baseball. Want to know why? Because when they are put into other forms, they don't match up with the word "mouse" as in scurrying rodent or "fly" as in take to the air. You would never talk about computer mice. It has to be mouses. And you don't say that a baseball player flew out, you say he flied out. WEIRD, HUH?! I was pretty cooled out by it. There must be other words like that, but these two definitely stand out.

Those were the coolest things I thought about on my way home today.

Speaking of my commute, here is a picture I took of the way cool sky on one recent trip home:

What a Weekend!

This was a really nice weekend, so I thought I should share:)

First of all, as soon as Craig mentioned going to Israel for three months, I started plotting for him to come to my school to talk to my students about it.

Meanwhile, back at the NH ranch, Katie was wishing there was a way to visit me, but had no wheels of her own (being up at Fairwood w/ her fam working on an amazing project everyone will see at the Feast... and in a sneak preview on Brandon's blog).

So these two things worked together for my good this past weekend when Craig, Katie and Rachel all came on down!

Friday Craig came to school with me and was a smash hit:) The more he taught the better he got - from making the 7/8 class break into laughter with his account of bartering, to totally winning the 9th grade over with pictures of men with guns, and other men in kafias. But he was the biggest hit of all in the 11th/12th grade, where his sense of humor meshed with theirs, and the four of them had a grand old time while I sat there and observed (and laughed a lot). It was such a joy to see! I can't wait to go in tomorrow and hear their reactions!

Then we drove home again to an Indian feast prepared by Katie, and the weekend began. Games, movies, dinner-out... it was a typical weekend at the Browns.
For dinner Sat night we were going to go to the Olive Garden, but got there to find it was closed for several days! So we decided to go to a new restaurant, "On the Border." Mexican - mmmmmm. HOWEVER, since it was new everyone else wanted to check it out too. The wait was 1 and a half hours! OY VAY! Fortunately, TJ and Shannon agreed to wait while the rest of us went off to Barnes & Noble and such. We still spent about 45 min there, but kept ourselve entertained with games of "Pig." The food was INCREDIBLE, and we decided it was worth the wait.

One of the most enjoyable moments was playing on the ice Saturday afternoon. Here are some pics:

(More pictures on Flikr - if you want the address, let me know in the comments section:))

More Stuff

Aaron is indeed (as labeled by DJ) a genius! Good job with the new links page!

Yesterday I got into my car, and within seconds was grinning widely. Guess what made me grin.

a) there was a hundred dollar bill on my dashboard
b) the Red Sox spring training game was being broadcast on the radio
c) I realized that that long, horrible day was finally over

I've heard (I forget where) that the answer b is correct more often than any other letter. I don't know if it's true or not - I pick up these weird things and then can't go back to confirm b/c of my somewhat unreliable (to put it nicely) memory. But anyway, in this case b is the right answer, so it's true here. And not only that, but the Sox won the game with a walk off grandslam!!! Not the worst way to end the first game I've listened to this season!

KJ, my kids are very jealous of you living in FL and getting to go to a spring training game or two:)

Good news! At the beginning of the year I merely tolerated Logic class. It was a little too overwhelming to really enjoy, because it's two classes in one, and I have to constantly juggle that. HOWEVER, I'm happy to report that now I actually enjoy it! It's a fascinating subject, that's for sure. So tidy and sensible and, well, logical!

And I'm REALLY loving teaching Algebra. I just graded the latest batch of tests (made by the math company and not by me, lest you accuse me of making the problems too easy) and my kids all got A's and B's! I was very happy.

Incidentally, one should NEVER EVER use and apostrophe (') to pluralize a word. It is always "I saw several cats, dogs, and bananas," and never "cat's, dog's and banana's." The ONLY exception is when you are pluralizing single letters or numbers or something (they all got A's and B's, for example). Just thought everyone should know that. I caught myself with a Thursday's today, much to my mortification, so it's kind of on my mind. Learn from my mistakes, dear readers!

I also read John L's final stanza for the correction sheet poem to my 9th grade boys today, and they genuinely laughed aloud! I thought that was pretty high praise. It's not as if 9th grade boys worry about polite laughter... I really enjoy that class:)

Stuff

Now that Aaron's blog list thingy seems to be a bit on the blink (is it just me?) I have reverted to the old-fashioned way of clicking my way down the favorites list. I kind of forgot how much fun the anticipation can be. Did they update? Yes? No? What will it be? YES!!!!!! (or the opposite). My favorite posts this time through had to be KJ's and Brandon's. Good job, guys:)

Last night was PTF (Parent Teacher Fellowship) meeting at school, which means I spent the entire day on the island. Five of us teachers went out to eat, and we got this waiter with zero sense of humor beyond calling us all "dear." Unfortunately I didn't pick up on the fact that he had no sense of humor until it was a bit too late.
Me: Can we get separate checks?
Him: No. (Instantly, and with a terribly straight face)
Me: (Knowing that people who say "no" that quickly and solemnly, without any pity, are always joking) Hahahaha, PLEASE?!
Him: No. We don't do that.
Me: Oh. (Embarrassed attempts at covering up the fact that he ought to have been joking)

While dining, the five of us, somehow, got onto the subject of background checks for teaching. It turns out that two of the group had never had to have them done! Then one of the teachers observed that the three of us who'd had to have them lived off the island! I'm telling you, this island mentality is uncanny... All those from off the island are instantly suspect! :)

Lastly, if anyone didn't see John L's comment on my Excelsior poem post, check it out - it's oh so funny!

Window into the Past

Last night I was scrambling under my bed for an article I remembered from college. I thought one of my students might want it for a resource for his huge-o senior thesis project. Alas, not only was I unable to find the article, I couldn't even find the notebook from the class! Argh. It was okay, though, because I e-mail my college prof about it, and he wrote back telling me where the article came from and I've already ordered it through inter-library loan (insert long post of gratitude for the RI libraries, again).

Anyway, while I was scrabbling in the underbrush of papers and folders and notes, out came a notebook from before college, yea, even before Bible School! It was one of those marble notebooks, full of lists. Yes, lists. And as I opened it up it was like travelling back in time.

I had lists of Red Sox quotes, favorite people (many of whom are in this blogging world!), career ideas (I was glad to find it written down... I used to have it memorized, but had since forgotten it. Yay that it wasn't lost forever! Write things down, people!), prayer concerns, favorite pieces of music, quotes from books, heroes (some of which I roll my eyes at now, but some of which still remain on the list - like Tim Naehring and Ben Hansen), a guest list for my wedding (an important thing to figure out when you're in high school), letters I'd written and received while staying at the Hills, lists of people I've dreamed about (yes, yes, very important, and including such people as Harrison Ford, Roland Brooks, Frankie Walker, and Steve Wakeman), funny things the Holscher kids did while I lived out there, places I want to travel (got Israel crossed off the list, and Scotland and England are coming this summer!!!), books I want for my children, teachers, names I like (my firstborn's name now belongs to one of my nephews... but I don't mind), movies I'd watch again, and, perhaps most impressively, 100 things for Kimberly to do if she got bored while I was at the Hills.

I thought I'd share some things from the 100 things, in case any of you are bored:

5. Play "Risk" with yourself, putting 50 armies on Great Britain and one on every other country and try to make Great Britain win (can you say Anglophile?)
11. Throw stones (small) at men's dorm windows (scandalized looks at my past self until I remembered I was kidding).
12. Explore the dining hall top to bottom (that's actually a pretty cool building)
18. Go visit Gerry in the garage
28. Hide in the cellar door and watch people's feet go by
51. Set the clock in the main house kitchen ahead one hour and walk through saying "wow, I can't believe it's already ____ o'clock!"
60. Climb the crab-apple tree on the front lawn and yell "BEAUTY!"
61. Lie outside, look up at the stars, and howl loudly at the moon
71. Read my old journals (and die) :)
74. Talk to your plants
81. Get George and Arthur to teach you how to speak Swahili
90. Tease Dad to make up for all the times he teases us
96. Play a game of WWII escape in the main house basement
100. Read a book (the future Lit teacher speaks!)

Anyway, it was a pretty cool glimpse into my past. I love how some things have changed so much, and others not at all. Continuity, but not stagnancy... God knows what He's doing with me!

What a beautiful day!

I just finished playing a killer game of Draw One with Sara and Melissa... on the PORCH! It is SO beautiful out right now! It was so invigorating to be out in the air and the breeze and the warm smellingness. Wow. When I'm in the middle of winter I kind of forget how liberating warm weather is.

This week my 7-12 graders went on a field trip! It was good, and educational, and all of that, but my favorite part was when we'd finished the State House tour and had some time to kill and I led them in games of Moose and Mafia. They are such a fun group! (By the way, the RI state house is unbelievably stunning. I got lots o' pics, of course.)

In other news, one of my 9th graders, inspired by Longfellow's birthday (and the prospect of extra credit), wrote a hilarious poem about the correction sheets I pass out to my students when they misbehave. I present to you now, with pride and giggles (makes sure not to miss the last stanza):

The Blast Correction Sheet

Through many a BLAST correction sheet,
Many eyes have to meet.
Pens are scratching,
Answers matching,
Excelsior!

The teacher smirks with evil demeanor,
Is it possible to be meaner?
Boys are moaning
Girls are groaning.
Excelsior!

Talk out loud, lean in your chair,
A correction sheet will be there!
Right on your desk,
Why even ask?
Excelsior!

Another Sheet! The pressure’s pressin’
Don’t you think you’ve learned your lesson.
So chew your gum,
And you’ll get one!
Excelsior!

Do not lift then stomp your feet
Or else you’ll get that dreaded sheet.
You can’t help but bear,
To shred and tear!
Excelsior!

But do not tear! my angry Brother,
Or else you will deserve another!
So do not pout,
But write it out.
Excelsior!

The teacher is another matter,
Her menacing chuckle makes you madder!
She thinks it’s neat,
To hand out sheets!
Excelsior!

Her eyes are burning like wildfire,
She smiles teeth like angry tiger.
She ruins all fun,
For everyone!
Excelsior!

Pencils screech upon the paper,
Time drags slowly like a vapor.
Hearts are in pain,
Students in vain.
Excelsior!

It seems that I have plagiarized,
Something that Longfellow despised.
But go ahead,
Cause He is dead!
Excelsior!

Two Wicked Happy School Things

#1. For the first time in my schooling career, I had one of my very own students accepted to college!!! It was so exciting. I'm ever so proud. And I was really happy because he told me the whole blow-by-blow account of seeing the letter and opening it, and somehow skipping the "congratulations" part, and shaking as he read through trying to figure out if this letter was a yes or a no:) He was unusually verbose about it, which made my day. He was so obviously happy about it!

#2. One of my students who left to go back to public school just called me, and we talked for almost 45 minutes! THAT was a day-maker! She told me all about her new school, and wanted to hear all the news from mine. She is reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at her new school, which we read back in the fall! I couldn't believe it! "Miss Murray," she exclaimed. "This teacher got it all wrong! And she isn't even pointing out the deeper meaning!" I exclaimed, "Oh no! What if I got it all wrong!" But then I was happy when she started talking about the deeper meaning part. And she told me that she answered one of the questions the teacher asked, and the teacher was thrilled! She must be such a bright spot in that poor teacher's existence:)

Happy Birthday Longfellow!

Last night Gretchen called me. "Scrap your lesson plans for tomorrow!" she exclaimed. "It's Longfellow's 200th birthday!"

How cool is that?!

So I made a big day of it at school. I did indeed scrap all of my Lit lesson plans, and we had a big Longfellow day. We read poems together, I read poems to them, and I even had one class memorize one stanza each of "Psalm of Life" and then we put it all together. It was so much fun! I also talked about Longfellow's importance in launching American literature onto the world scene. We owe him a debt of gratitude!

And he wrote some masterpieces, boy oh boy. We read "Psalm of Life" of course, and "Excelsior" and then we read some lesser known ones, including "On the Jewish Cemetery in Newport." Can you believe it?! My jaw at least figuratively dropped when I found that one. It made for some great map-drawing episodes on the chalkboard, too, as students tried to describe to other students where it was. As I was trying to describe all the nearby shops and landmarks, one of my students asked "How do you know Newport so well?!" and I felt very gratified:)

One of my students gave such a Rhode Island style set of directions. "Okay, you go by the old Coca Cola building that got torn down..." Oh, great. Thanks. The old building-that's-not-there-anymore landmark. Love it. :)

Anyway, it was a super day. And now, dear readers, you should all go look up a couple of Longfellow poems in honor of that august man and his beautiful work.

Happy Birthday, Longfellow!

Reflections on Driving a Minivan

Saturday I randomly lost power steering in my own car, so today saw me driving out of the driveway in a green minivan.

This was no biggie, really. My main impression as I started was how BIG I felt. As I drove things seemed fine, I just noticed that it took a little more to stop a vehicle that much bigger than my usual one.

But as the day progressed, the differences between driving a van and a car started to become more and more apparent.

First of all, I really don't think anything of it when I blow by some slow driver during my normal commute. But today I felt strange passing people in a minivan. Wouldn't they think it annoying to be blown away by a minivan? I'm always annoyed when a minivan or a semi passes me. Those kind of vehicles are supposed to be driven slowly. Minivan drivers aren't supposed to go 70! They're supposed to be being protective of their 28 children.

That children thing was what really got me, I think. As I pulled into the school I felt like I should be arriving with my 37 children, and unpacking them and their multiple bags, lunches, projects, etc. But instead I just hopped out and went in for another day of teaching. Weird.

On my way home I ran some errands, and was intrigued at how my thought process differed depending on the establishment at which I was shopping. As I came out of Ritz I felt a little embarrassed to be getting into a minivan. I didn't want people thinking I was something I wasn't (i.e. a mom with 43 children). But then, coming out of Morning Star I felt more embarrassed about the fact that I wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Strange, don't you think? I felt like, if I was driving a minivan, and therefore declaring the fact that I had 59 children, I definitely needed to be wearing a ring!

But when all was said and done, I was happy to be driving a car with power steering. Wrestling a car around corners in a parking lot is not a job for the faint of heart (or faint of muscle).

Two Things I Like

I like beautiful and meaningful poetry, like this sonnet by Christina Rossetti:

Lifelong our stumbles, lifelong our regret,
Lifelong our efforts failing and renewed,
While lifelong is our witness, "God is good:"
Who bore with us till now, bears with us yet,
Who still remembers and will not forget,
Who gives us light and warmth and daily food;
And gracious promises half understood,
And glories half unveiled, whereon to set
Our heart of hearts and eyes of our desire;
Uplifting us to longing and to love,
Luring us upward from this world of mire,
Urging us to press on and mount above
Ourselves and all we have had experience of,
Mounting to Him in love's perpetual fire.

And I like shadows on the snow, as depicted in this picture:

Ahh! Slacker!

Sorry for the dearth of posts, people. Shame on me - and on vacation, too! But it's been, um, a working vacation. Definitely. Well... The first two days I didn't get a lot done, and spent most of my time being upset that I wasn't getting a lot done. But then I remembered my Hamlet post, and that God knew what I should do in my day a lot better than I did. So that was okay. Then I got a pretty good amount done Wed and Thurs.

And this morning I got all of my 7/8 papers graded! So that was good. I was thwarted in the 9th grade papers by a phone call, however, and now I'm taking a break for my emotional health.

The phone call was the mother of one of my seniors, letting me know that they did indeed decide to pull her out of the school and send her to public school. Long story. And not unexpected. But still a blow. So I'm taking a blogging break! (The cure-all...)

This is the second of my seniors to leave, alas. My 11/12 class is now just three boys. The two girls are gone. It's going to change the dynamics a LOT. I'm really going to miss those girls. They were the sanguines! But I know it's going to be good with the guys, too. Just different.

Anyway, the phone call was good. This particular mom is one of my favorites, and she said some nice, affirming things. Then my student got on the phone after her mom, and thanked me for teaching and stuff. She said she was going to brag about me to her new English teacher:) What a sweetie. Inside I trembled. What if new English teacher sees through me, and realizes I'm faking it half the time?! What if new English teacher sees my student's papers and sneers at me?! Ah, pshaw. I'm not living in the fear of man! I did what I could - and maybe her papers will be one of the best in the class! I can dream... :)

Anyway, I really believe that God is going to work things out, both for the class left at my school and for the two girls leaving. He has a good plan. And He will get my students to their destination in His own amazing way.

So that's what's been going on with me, lately. That, and I've been having fun w/ my camera, so I will now add some pics to the end of this post as a kind of "my vacation in pictures" ending:)
The Yoot Convention - it was a really great one!
Fun w/ the nephews and their new bunk beds!
Enjoying beautiful New England snow! (I'm wicked into shadows on snow lately...)
Playing Cranium (DJ is building the Berlin Wall, I believe)
Cool aerial shots by Melissa (I really like the ones you took, Meliss!)

Snow Day!

After a few trips to school in miserable weather, I was beginning to think that a snow day would never be mine.

This morning, at 5:30am I found that all three public schools in the vicinity of our school were closed for the day and thought, Surely...! Consequently at about 10 of 6 I was still there poking around, trying to find confirmation that we had been cancelled. I was just about to give up and start getting ready for the day (at 10 of 6 I was going to be excessively late for school, due to all the ice), when the phone rang. It was the headmaster, telling me that school was cancelled. I answered SO cheerfully when I saw that it was him, that he was actually laughing - in a groggy sort of way - when he started to speak. Ya, I was a little excited... and I'd been up for almost an hour already!

So anyway, I DID get a snow day! I'm pretty psyched about it, because that means, shifting today's lesson plans into the rest of the week, I have all of my lesson plans done for the entire week! That leaves today to get ready for next week's vacation (!!!) and the youth convention. YES! It also leaves a lot of time for goofing off, which is what one is supposed to do on a snow day.

Hip hip hurrah for MY school having snow days TOO!