life here

I've been messing around with my blog, trying to change things in the template again, and not posting. It was another beautiful Saturday morning, and the small of autumn was in the air. I took another bike ride, this time exploring a new neighborhood around me. The weather is so beautiful, and I really have an excellent neighborhood for biking. The roads are windy and interesting, and I never know quite where they are going to go. It is all hilly, so I get good exercise with the fun of racing down hills on broad, empty streets. This all might be annoying if I were walking or running, but it is exciting on a bike. I never know quite where I am -despite my sense of direction- and the challenge is to see if can find a new street to ride down without hitting a deadend or coming to a main busy road. ...and without encountering a hill that stumps me. It has yet to happen.

And the reason I'm having such a fun and relaxing Saturday - biking and blogging - is because school has been canceled on MONDAY and TUESDAY!! It is so crazy-hard to believe, but we really aren't having school. I had planned to go into work for a few hours today, to get caught up and make these next few weeks a bit more sane. This past week was pretty horrible. But, I think I'll save the work for Monday or Tues.

The reason we aren't having school is that the governor of GA requested that all public schools not have school to save gas (esp. because busses use lots of gas). Most of the counties heeded Mr. Purdue, and so did our school. I'm not exactly sure why, and I'm curious to know of this decision-making process, but, incidently, I'm not complaining!!

I'm planning on going out to Stone Mtn. with Angie on Monday, and getting lots of good work done on Tuesday that will make me feel like a better teacher, and be helping get things in order for next year. We just finished a unit, and I was REALLY hoping for a day to put all the stuff in order and note changes I made and changes that should be made. Plus I need time to get the big picture together for the unit we are starting. Last year I left it with much to be desired. So, here goes!!

Ironically the 6th graders were already planning on going on a field trip and I was going to have half the day to myself on Monday anyway....

more pictures

Well, as sweet as the other shot was, this picture lets you see her face. She's standing with a friend, Amy, who is teaching in Tanzania for the year, at Peace Haven Academy.

Amy and Emily, my new roommates.

(I don't know why these pictures are smaller.)

dear friend

This is Christy, my dear friend and roommate. She is leaving our house, moving to live in the inner city where her ministry is. I'm really sad about her leaving his house, but I know this is good for her and where God wants her to be. She'll be missed, more than I can say with words just now. And there is a new uncertainty about the future--one that I do not like.

biking

Well, I haven't been blogging lately, and besides being busy with school, it is mainly because I have found a new hobby!
This bike has begun to take up lots of my free time. Which I'm happy about. I've been riding a couple evenings a week when I come home from school, exploring my neighborhood. And today I took the first big trip up to Mercer University. Several of my students on Intown's xcountry team were running in a 5k and I got to see them and cheer them on. I map.google-ed it and the distance by car on main roads to the race was 6mi. So, I found a way to take mainly back roads, and I imagine I probably road about 15 mi this morning. It was a beautiful morning, and I had fun. I am also very glad to have made it home. My neighborhood is pretty hill-y.

Well, I promised a friend I'd help him move today, so I don't have time for more, but I do have lots in store that I mean to write.

farmers' market reason #1-2

Reason No. 1 the farmers' market in atlanta is excellent:

Its wide variety.

Today I bought ham from Prague...called Patak Prague Ham. I also could have bought Patak Gypsy Ham.

There is an excellent selection of salami that reminds me of Milan. Perhaps when Elizabeth comes to Atl for Stephanie's wedding we will have to make a trip there.


Reason No. 2
People are friendly there.
Today a man standing next to me as I was gauking at the salami and waiting for help said, "I see you looking at that salami - you've got to be careful. That stuff is terrible for you."

I just sort of smiled and said that it was so good, but then I wished I had said something like, "What? are you saying that I'm fat?"
hehe

new building

Last Sunday after church there was a building ceremony - the ribbon was cut and we all ran through like crazy. I was very excited to see my finished classroom, and it was fun to be there seeing it with my friends.

We won't be moving in there until Next weekend - because labor day weekend isn't such a good day to move. But some things are already getting moved over. Sunday School classes will begin the new building starting this Sunday - and Singles is moving over there. And our old tiny-tiny resource room will become a Sunday school room - so it is being moved. Empty, it suddenly looks big. So, things are beginning to move over there. At about 6 this evening, I went down to do my final bout of copying for the day, and I needed some cardstock. This had all been moved over the the new resource room (which is just down the hall from my new classroom!) and it was SO weird getting to walk straight from the old part of the building to the new. Everything is so much closer than it I had imagined it to be.

I saw Pam, our principal, carrying things over, and Jennifer, the admin.assistant was still in her office. She told me they are planning on moving the offices to the new room tomorrow! After making my copies, I decided to walk through the empty new building around to my new classroom, so I did a full loop, passing by my new room, going up a new stairwell, passing by the new Singles room, and into the hallway that leads to my old classroom. It was such a weird feeling walking into the hallway from the other direction - like walking through a mirror. I suppose the novelty of it will wear off, but it sure is fun right now.