Throwing them in there, almost forgot

I almost forgot, we did go trail riding in the mountains, my Dad, Teresa, and I.  It was Teresa's first time on a horse ever.  We dodged branches, crossed over big fallen trees and boulders, and went through rushing creeks.  I was so proud of her for taking it like a champ.  She loved it.  We even survived having a group of pit bulls come running at us full steam, shew! 

Totally random here, but we also stopped and saw the Sante Fe Trail on our way back home.

It blew my mind that it was still there. I kept thinking maybe they came and remade it in secret.  I mean, how can something last that long?  Amazing!

Trail to the tracks.  It. was.so WINDY>>>>>>>>>

And there were lots of blooming cacti

The GC Part CO trip 2013

On our way to CO we stopped in GC and stayed with my inlaws. They took us to a rodeo.  On the way back they brought me my favorite food, El Zarape.  Love them!  It was fun.

Mutton Buston, AKA little kids get bucked off sheep

Rodeo queens, girls were most impressed by this part

All looking our cowgirl best

Toothless cowgirl....and me

The pink hats were bought by our friend Teresa and were perfect for the rodeo was sponsoring Breast Cancer Awareness

Colorado 2013 Part 2

More pics from our trip to CO

My Mom

Small museum at CO National Monument

He's kissing her head, sigh!

A deer taking a chill pill in my Mom's yard

Loving up on Papa

4 generational photo with Mom, Dad, Me, Girls, and My Grandma and Grandpa on my Dad's side

Colorado 2013 part 1

This year was the first of what I think will finally start turning into an annual pilgrimage to Colorado each summer to visit my folks.  We left on Friday and returned the following Friday with one stop in Garden City each way to break up the drive.  My sweet neighbor joined me to keep me company and help me.  We had a blast and she is more than willing to accompany each year if need be.  Jeff had to stay back and study for a test. 

Driving that far was

very intimidating to me, but it was just as easy as everyone said it would be and with a GPS to guide me it required little to no thought.  Shew!  I was certainly born in the right era with technology that can help directionally challenged people like myself. 

The kids traveled like champs.  This was the longest stretch of time I've seen my folks in YEARS.  Usually they come to see us and only for 2 days at a time once or twice a year.

Here are some pics.

Four wheeling with Papa was B's favorite activity.

Watching a cattle drive on the four wheelers in front of house

Riding horses with Papa was K's favorite

B not so much

Hiking where we can have a snow ball fight....

Great views everywhere we we went

Sharing views our friend Teresa had never seen before

 

Harry Berry Bilberry

If you have kept up with me on facebook you know we got a cat.  We adopted him from the animal shelter one week ago today.  His name was Joon, but we renamed him Harry.  I just couldn't call him a female name.   I threw out some names and the girls and I agreed on Harry.  And it just seemed too fun to give him a middle name of Berry so we went with it.

I think I started getting the idea of getting a cat when I saw one of my student's cats.  This cat was the most laid back cat I had ever seen.  He'd hop in the van with his family and go for rides like a dog. When the van door opened up, there'd he'd be laying on the two year old's lap just as relaxed and laid back as could be.  Now I realize this is not typical of most cats, but it gave me hope that there are cats out there that aren't neurotic.  My only cat in college was neurotic.  She was sweet when she wanted to be but never let us pick her up and cuddle on her and very temperamental.

SO...when we went to the animal shelter I had my list of qualifications for the perfect Bilberry cat that went as follows:

1.  Must be laid back

2.  Must be a cuddler

3.  Must let us pick him up and hold him

4.  Playful is nice, but not mandatory.

Hard to tell, but he's holding his mouse here

5.  Short hair cat only

The shelter only had one male cat, Harry.  She thought he fit all those descriptions.  He was out in the play cage when we arrived.  So we were able to go in with him and interact with him.  I picked him up and right away he started purring.  That was my first clue that this might be theeeeee cat.  When I put him down to interact with the kids they waved toys in front of his face and he started playing with them.  I gave the girls the option of going and looking at more cats at other shelters before we made a decision but also told them I would be OK with adopting Harry if they wanted him.  They were hooked.

We paid for him and arranged to pick him up the following morning after we had made all the arrangements for his arrival at home.  He was a little scared at first and spent most of the first two days hiding under the couch but totally OK with being petted as long as we petted him under the couch. 

The first evening he came out out of his shell when the kids went to bed and became wild man.  He ran from one end of the house like a bat out of (*(*#O*.  Occasionally he'd stop and get on the bed with me and lay on my ear and purr.  I got very little sleep, but it was worth it because he was happy and so sweet. I'm sure not being locked in a cage all night was quite a great experience for him that night.

By day three Harry really started warming up to being our pet and was rarely under the couch.  He started following us around, chatting with us on occasion and being very receptive to the girls playing with him.  By day four or five it was like he was just part of our family.  The kids like to go "cat fishing" and he is happy to be caught.  Kadyn picks him up all the time and drags him around the house.  He is super playful and plays with all his toys.  He especially likes his toy mice.  It is so stinking cute watching him roll around with those tiny mice.

He hasn't been bad about getting on counters at all.  He's tried it twice and got squirted for it. Not a fan of the water bottle.  We'll see how often we have to break it out.  He was clawing our couches until I put his scratching post inbetween them and sprinkled catnip on the post.  He is now obessesed with his post, clawing it like crazy, rubbing on it, rolling on it, and sleeping on it.  I took the shelter's advice and rolled him up like a burrito in a towel to trim his claws.  He was a real trooper for that.  I think he may just get to keep his claws.

His favorite perch is the top of the rat cage.  He is greatly amused by Daisy and curious about her.  Their first face to face meeting he freaked out.  Then curiosity took over and he decided he wanted to have more of her.  She went for him from the first moment they met.  I thought Daisy would be scared, but apparently she is one brave rat!  I still watch him like a hawk when Daisy is out with the kids.  He has never tired to pounce on her, only swat at her, put his paw on her and a few times tried to bite her.  I think, but am not entirely sure, he was trying to do playful biting (the kind he does with me when I hand wrestle with him), but I didn't let him do it long enough to find out.   The water bottle comes out when he does that and he heads for cover.

We call this "Cat TV"

As you can see, Daisy is just as curious of him as he is of her

We sure do love him and he has wormed his way into our hearts very quickly.  I am so happy to provide a pet for my girls that will be around for a long time (I hope).  I grew up with pets and they were a huge part of my life.  I adored them as a child. I wanted to provide that same opportunity for my children. Now I get too.  Welcome Harry Berry Bilberry!  

Told the kids

Today was my last music day with my K,1,2,3,4, and 5th graders.  I decided it was time to tell them I would not be back next school year.  I recieved blank stares, understanding stares, angry stares, and tears. Two of my most ornery kids in my kindergarten class took it really bad and were torn up, right away.  As I was packing stuff up in my van, the older kids shouted to me from the playground, "Ms. Darci, don't leave us!"  They also told me they wanted to take a field trip to come visit me next year.  I got lots of hugs as they left my room even though they know I'm not officially gone until Friday.  Sweetness!

It was hard to tell the kids but the great thing about it all is that I could incorporate my faith into my speech which made it an easier pill to swallow, especially for the older kids.  They could understand that I have a calling, I have a gift, and I am fulfilling that calling by accepting my new position teaching music all day long, every day.  They could understand all the talk about God opening doors because it is his will for me.     

I pray that they will be able to replace me.  Finding someone to do music, who is qualified, for only a few hours a week, and for very little pay, may be tough. I am the first teacher to create a real music program for this school and without a piano (another big feat).  It has been very well received by everyone!  The kids get amped up every music day and I love that!  I think all kids should have the opportunity to have music as it really enriches their lives, and if I could get on my soap box for a minute, it has been proven to improve student performance on assessments. 

So, this is it!  My last two days await me and then it's another chapter closed in my journey.  I will miss the kids for sure.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to teach core subjects for the first time.  This really was the PERFECT transitional job and I'm am very confident and ready to go at it on a much larger scale next year. This job also confirmed to me that

A.  I love teaching no matter the subject BUT
B.  I will always have a sweet spot for teaching music

It's all a mind set

During my journey to get my career back, I really played A LOT of the "what if" games.  I know every person out there can relate.  It's an AWFUL game to play.  It's depressing, defeating, maddening, you name it!  Towards the end of my journey, I learned how important it was to focus more on the present instead of getting stuck in the future.  Doing this allowed me to see more answers to prayers.  Doing this gave me a better sense of security and peace.  I am glad my journey ended with the answer I was hoping for.  I know if the answers had been contrary to my desires I would've played the game all over again next year.

Recently I read an article in my Prevention magazine, about a brain scientist who had a stroke.  Because she knew the brain so well, she was very aware what was happening to her as it was happening.  You would think that she would've been scared, but instead remembered thinking, "Whoa, this is so-o-cool! How many brain scientists get to witness their own mental deterioration from the inside out!"

This totally shocked me, so I kept reading.  She goes on to say this about her stroke:

"This was the blessing I received from my experience: that nirvana is just a thought away-or, in my language [of science], deep inner peace exists in the consciousnesses of our right hemisphere.  And at any given moment, you can choose to hook into that part of your brain, into a peaceful state, if you are willing to stop the cognitive loops of thought, worry, anger-any ideas that distract you from the experience of being in the here and now.  What my stroke did was shut out all those moments: it silenced the dominating, judging voice of my left mind.  And when that happened, my consciousness dwelled in a flow of sweet tranquility."

So basically she discovered that one side of your brain is responsible for all those "what-ifs" and once you realize that, you can choose to "not listen to them, and tune into the present moment." We do not have to view ourselves as a "single consciousness" because both sides of our brain actually, "have different ways of looking at the world."

As I pondered and chewed on this over the last 24 hours I thought to myself.  I need to do a better job of CHOOSING to say no to that game I always play.  On the other hand, I do think the what-if game has its place.  It forces us to plan.  Planning is good and necessary to an extent.  Being a forward thinker can prevent a lot of problems.  SO, I think a certain level of what-ifs can encourage some positive behaviors.  On the other hand, I think all too often we let it get away from us and dominate our lives so much so that we begin to obsess over things we can not control OR plan for.  We get so transfixed on living in our future that we forget to stop and enjoy the now.  So, this year I want to work on this.  After all, when you pray for things that are in the now, you are bound to have an answer one way or another by the end of the day.  Answers to prayers whether they be in your favor or not, at least in my case, strengthen my faith.  To me, any answer, good or bad, means he's listening.  Knowing he hears me makes me feel loved.  Choosing not to play the what-if game also forces me to cast my burdens on Christ which also strengthens my faith. I know this is his will for me.  It is biblical.  So here's to another year of living and enjoying my now and planning for my future, but not obsessing over it.  As my mother always says, "What will be, will be."  At the moment I feel like I'm in a good place, but know trials come and go, so trying to hide this plan in my heart for the future.