Tough Week

This week was pretty good until Wednesday, when I had to deal with a not-so-fun-situation with regards to a student's parent. I find this part of my job extremely exhausting and depressing. It is all I can do sometimes to put a smile on my face and go on. "Moving forward" has never really been my strong suit. I am hoping to build a thicker skin in time.

The concept of "not everyone is going to love you" is really hard for me. I hate being insecure and thinking that there is someone out there who is upset with me for any reason....whether it's a friend, family member, student, student's parent, or stranger on the street. I wear my heart on my sleeve and just take everything too personally.

I know that these traits will pay off one day...that I will be a loving mother and a sensitive friend. I hope that my parent problems at school are limited and that these people learn to just let me do my job.

Anyway, I am happy it is the weekend. I can't wait to rest and relax with my wonderful husband in our beautiful home. Our pear tree is blooming and the cherry blossom tree is ready to burst. I can't wait to take pictures! 

By the way...good meal idea is Rachael Ray's Cowboy Spaghetti. Google it and enjoy!

Thoughts

I have a really, really busy mind, so it is really therapeutic to me to release some thoughts every now and then (thus, this blog!). Anyway, I am watching Dancing with the Stars and secretly wish I could dance like that! :-)

With April 13 approaching, the would-be due date of our first child, I really have been thinking so much about everything...and I started reading a book called "Full Term." It is about a woman who suffered 2 miscarriages and then delivered twins at 5 months and they died. Her book is about her journey to actually finish a pregnancy....it is both encouraging and saddening to me at the same time. BUT....I am not defeated and am actually quite inspired for the future. I just like reading about other women who have been through the same, if not worse, than me. I need to feel grateful in place of feeling sorry for myself, and realizing that other women have gone through SO much worse really helps give me a reality check.

In a completely unrelated note, I made creole chicken for the first time tonight. It was soooo amazingly good. Another amazingly good part about this night is the Concannon's treats I purchased this afternoon. I love their chocolate cupcakes! Thankfully Luke doesn't care for "all the sugar...." so MORE for me!

I counted, and only 8 more Mondays in the school year. I can't wait until Summer!

Spring Break Summary

Well, here I sit on a Sunday morning....breakfast eaten, and I am thinking about my day. I have to get to church, grade a zillion papers that I neglected over the last week of freedom, take a shower, print some things for school, and get my meals planned for the next week. I am feeling reflective...and, I can't believe it, but I am feeling excited for the remaining 2 months of school.

I am so inspired by people, and I really have a renewed enthusiasm for my career as a teacher, and I am prepared to get my kids as ready as possible for 5th grade. We are writing research reports, reviewing for ISTEP, and reading a couple of novels this month. I have lots of ideas, and I am ready to get going again!

However, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this past week of freedom. I woke up when I wanted, I didn't spend $100 on gas, I ate out with friends a lot, I got my hair cut, and I spent invaluable time with Luke. But...I do know that this is not reality. I have to work. I have to be productive. I have to keep moving. 

I have thought a lot about our baby this week. With not very much to do, I allowed my mind to wander and reminisce about "what might have been." Do I enjoy this? No....but is it necessary for healing? Yes. I can now think about what happened and not cry. I can remember the blank ultrasound and recount every memory without going hysterical. I can look forward to the future without fear. At dinner on Thursday with Allison & Nikki in Dayton, I shared some memories of pregnancy that I hadn't shared with anyone....and it was nice to actually acknowledge that yes....I was pregnant for at least a little while....and I should be allowed to talk about it. I talked this week....friends listened....and I am moving forward.

Friday night, I was blessed to spend time with my dear friends Candace, Megan, Alicia, and Allison, and we all got to spend time with Brayden (Candace's 1 month old baby) and Lachlan and Kamden (Megan's 6 week and 3 year old children). It was so much fun to see all of them....I miss having my friends as a part of my day to day to life, but I do know that no matter how much time/distance goes between, we will always be connected. This is the essence of friendship, I believe.

At the same time, Luke was able to do some guy stuff with Nick & Chris...watching games and relaxing. I am happy that Luke's life can also be enriched by friends.

Saturday morning, we got up early to go to Indy's west side to clean up an elderly lady's home as part of a med school community service initiative. We planted flowers, mulched, cleaned up trash, raked leaves and sticks, pulled weeds, and really gave her yard a facelift. She was pleased, and we felt really accomplished. Helping people is just such an amazing experience. 

So, I didn't go to Florida or go on a cruise this past week, but I rested, relaxed, healed, had fun, and renewed my energy for the remaining 2 months of school. Life is good, we are blessed, and I couldn't be happier than I am in this moment!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (super easy!)

I made chocolate covered strawberries this morning (ironically after going to the gym), but this is a healthy recipe from my Flat Belly Diet book.

Mix 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of fat free milk in a double boiler. Reduce the heat to medium and stir the chocolate until it is smooth. This only takes like a minute, and you DON'T want to burn chocolate! It is so gross (and smells nasty, too!).

Take the chocolate off the heat and then dip the strawberries in until your heart is content. Place strawberries on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

I think this chocolate recipe would also be good for dipping pretzel rods. I made chocolate covered pretzels to go with Christmas presents a couple Christmases ago, and they were SO good. This version of the chocolate recipe is healthier because it uses semi-sweet chocolate chips with fat free milk...no cream or additional sugar.

Yum!

New Hair

I  bit the bullet and cut off about 8 inches of hair! I love it!

Renaissance Man!

I have made the comment from time to time that Luke is a true Renaissance Man. He has always had an appreciation for the arts, especially music, and yet he has maintained an athletic reputation and is really good at anything that involves using physical ability. He appreciates musicals and artists and people talented in areas other than sports, but he loves his basketball and other sports teams. 

Well, on Saturday, he got the chance to show off his true Renaissance style as he helped a friend in medical school show off her sewing skills in a fashion show. This was called "Evening of the Arts," which is an annual production that combines medical students with Crispus Attucks High School students (it is a medical magnate school that IUSM works with frequently). The med students at IUSM are really diverse and have a lot of talents, so this is a night for them to show off what they've got. There were Indian dance performances, musical instrument performances, and a couple performances from the high school students. 

The fashion show was part of the Evening of the Arts, and Luke and his friend Taylor wore the Medieval garb made by their friend Katie. She makes Medieval clothes as a hobby. Who knew people did such things?! The fashion show was neat because we saw lots of traditional clothing from a variety of cultures (Chinese, Indian, African, etc). It made me wish I had a rich culture to show off other than my Ball State t shirt and sweats I am wearing right now! :-)

Anyway, check out the pictures and video. I didn't have enough room to get the whole fashion show, but I got Luke's part. I also got the 2nd year med students' Indian dance performance. A very cool and interesting way to spend a Saturday night!

  

Tile Progress

Luke really worked his butt off over his spring break to tear up 3 different kinds of 20 year old linoleum, take off all the trim work, remove a toilet, lay the tile, grout the tile, break 1 toilet putting it back on, buy a new toilet and correctly install it...and now we are only one tiny bathroom (and all the little detail work) away from having the project done. I thought I would show a progression so we could admire Luke's handiwork. Feel free to "oooh" and "aaaah" as needed.