30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 20

I am so thankful for church potlucks, church family, and a short work week ahead!

Today's food was delicious and I have some pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge that I'm dying to try - after dinner tonight!

I am thankful for friends who are coming into town this week, friends who are mine because of my husband. I can't wait to catch up and relax!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 19

I am so thankful to my friend, Mrs. B, for introducing me to Settlers of Catan so many years ago when I was visiting her in California. Because of that introduction, I could confidently play with my husband and his high school friends, with mutual friends we have through work, and with new friends from church.

Though I didn't win tonight, I did have a great time playing with Mr. and Mrs. K. They are a couple of fun people! And to top off a wonderful evening of Catan, Mrs. K gave me the option of having hot chocolate with little gingerbread marshmallow men. Yum! I have to admit, though, that I felt a little cannibalistic eating those men after drowning them in my beverage. Oh, well!

Great game + great friends = great night

And it was all made possible by Mrs. B and her Cali gal pals making the introduction. Just awesome. Thank you!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 18

Today, I am thankful for a husband who will put his jeans back on (slow down, he was wearing sweat pants) and take me to the grocery store! Normally that doesn't happen. At all. The grocery store is not somewhere he wants to be. On a Friday night. With no discernible plan as to what we're buying. It was fun!

I'm also thankful for naps after a long and frustrating week at work. It was incredible!

Happy weekend!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 17

I am thankful for hot showers, early bedtimes, and a day to wear jeans while teaching teens about something that they've done before!

Showers are so relaxing and early bedtimes make me a happier person the next day. Jeans are comforting and a signal that the weekend is so very near. Teaching teenagers, while challenging in itself, is also more challenging when the students have never ever done the activity before. Literary analysis and interpretive response papers have cluttered my desk the past six weeks but now we are moving into familiar territory - poetry!

I had a significant dip in my grades this last six weeks and last night, at report card pick up, I finally realized why. The kids haven't done any of what I was requiring of them (by the way, the state and my district require me to require these assignments) ever before. No wonder they struggled so much! No wonder my headaches were throbbing on and off all day every day. Oh, glorious realization!

I expect that grades will pick up this third grading period. Yes, it is shorter. Yes, they've been benchmarked to death (with one final nail in the coffin yet to come), and yes, we were all at each others' throats with frustration BUT WE CAN DO POETRY!!! WE WILL ENJOY OUR LAST GRADING PERIOD OF THE SEMESTER!!!

Can't wait to get to class!

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 16

I am so thankful for fun friends and their laughter! Tonight, between school and report card pick up night, Mr. V and I went out to dinner with our friend, Mrs. K. It was a riot to laugh with Mrs. K again - it has been a while!

I'm also thankful for an opportunity to go to bed early tonight. I am contemplating skipping my favorite show in favor of an early bedtime. Since I may have to do this, please, no spoilers on FB about Revenge! I will be watching it Thursday when I get home and again over the weekend to make sure I didn't miss anything. That's right. I have found my inner Mrs. B and I now rewatch a show. She used to do this in college with Smallville. I finally understand. Of course, she loves Revenge now, too. Another thing to be thankful for - something to share with a friend!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 15

I am thankful for a roof over my head, a snuggie to warm me up, and a couch to sit on while I try to relax after a long day. True, I didn't have to really teach today because my students were taking a benchmark but goodness did the kiddos have a hard time with the writing prompt and gracious me, I had a hard time helping them understand it. I'm not even sure that I understand it! Plus, it is really difficult to watch people take a test all day. It's about as exciting as watching the grass grow. In the wintertime. During a drought.

BUT I get to come home and relax and unwind a bit tonight and that is definitely something to appreciate deeply.

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 14

I know that I'm late with this again BUT yesterday was my actual birthday! I am so thankful for the sweet people who said "Happy Birthday," posted it on my wall, or emailed it to me at work or at home. What wonderful people.

My BIG thankful thing, though, is my students in my B3 class. All of the last two weeks, the kids have been talking about what they were planning to do for my birthday. Imagine my disappointment when my student, who has been talking about making a cookie cake for the class to celebrate, tells me Monday morning that since she knew that Mr. V had bought me one for my birthday party, she decided I didn't need another one. But I was so looking forward to celebrating with my kids!

Well, B3 had been asking me for my favorite color and favorite cookie and all sorts of other favorites in the weeks leading up to my birthday. On November 14th, however, it came to nothing. "We forgot. Sorry!" they said. Now, imagine my utter surprise when I open my door after lunch to find a camera in my face, another flashing behind it, and a big balloon marking the spot where many, many cookies lay! They spelled out "Happy 21st Birthday Mrs. V" and had cookies to represent peace, love, an ampersand, and happiness (that was a smiley face cookie). What incredibly sweet kids!

I am so blessed to have really great kids in my classes this year. Last year was a bit rough but this year I feel more appreciated by my students and LOVE that they show their appreciation in spite of the way I'm challenging them this year.

What an honor to serve these kids!

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 13

As I sit here, reluctantly thinking about the poetry unit my students are about to start, I can't help but reflect upon the last year of my life.

I think that a lot of changes have been happening in me this past year, a lot of stirrings. I have experienced a world of growth as a person this year. I have learned how to better resolve conflicts, to value my friendships and my free time more, and to just let things go.

I think about this tonight because in a few hours I will officially be a year older than I am right now. I reflect upon the passing of time and how changed we all are with each year that goes by. I am constantly learning new things and really have come to appreciate being a constant work in progress. Yes, it is tiring and yes, it can be frustrating. But it keeps me going and fighting and living.

I am immensely thankful that God has chosen to give me another year of this crazy, amazing life. We are not promised tomorrow so live for today and be thankful that He has given you another one. Embrace the challenges and celebrate the moments that make you laugh or cry. This is what life is. Isn't it amazing?

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 12 (the day after)

This is a day late because, well, my birthday party was last night and I spent all day getting ready. From cutting up fruit to serve later to a mani/pedi to a delightful haircut to the actual party, I had a wonderful (but busy) day. I love that my brother and my in-laws were able to come (bummed that my nephew was sad he wasn't invited) along with friends from so many different aspects of my life, past and present. I love my birthday parties because it is the one time during the year when I get to see all of my friends at the same time.

That said, what a blessing to have so many friends and family who love me and care about me so much that they would take time out of their busy schedules (and in some cases, travel an hour or more) to celebrate with me! I am so thankful that God has given me these people. What a great life to live!

I am also thankful for people who are supportive of my creative efforts and encourage me when I need it. It is truly an amazing thing to see. I love you guys!

I'll be posting again later in the day. It just wouldn't be 30 days of thanks without a post for the 12th - my birthday (which is really Monday) always gets in the way of these posts. So. . . I'm thankful that you, reader, are a forgiving person :)

Love,

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 11

Today, I am thankful for my great grandfather's service in World War I, my grandfathers' service in World War I, my uncle's service in Vietnam, and my brother's service in Iraq and beyond. I am thankful for my in-laws who served.  I am thankful that God kept them safe while they were abroad and brought them home again. I'm also thankful for the families who sacrifice time with their military men and women. I know how hard it is to see an empty seat at the table this time of year, wonder where they are, and pray for their safety.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 10

Today, I am thankful for my friend and neighbor, Mr. M. He is an audophile of the first degree. He will be helping me with a music project for this weekend and I am over the moon thrilled about it. Also, he and I have been working together as long as we've been teaching  - and closely, at that. We can share our frustrations with each other and strategically plan together.

He also came over a few days ago to help out with some of the odd jobs that I need help with since Mr. V is slightly out of commission. Just an all around great guy.

I'm so appreciative of all of my friends, not just Mr. M. You're all wonderfully diverse pieces of a beautiful quilt that keeps me warm on cold, dark days.

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 9

Today, I am thankful for my PULSE kids. They are just truly joys to be around. Tonight's fundraiser was a hilarious evening well spent. I don't know if we made much money, but we did bank on laughs!

I'm also thankful for my students being amazing this year. There are still those kids you wonder about but on the whole, I have wonderful kiddos who are just completely decent human beings. It's really and truly a blessing not to be taken for granted.

Enjoy the end of your week! It's coming at you faster than you know.

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 8

Today I am thankful for my brother. He and I have clearly grown up together and, though we have differing opinions on many topics and have approached life in different ways, we are cut from the same cloth and have similar values. He cares about me and, because he loves me, he loves my husband, too. He has been so incredible to call my husband before his surgery to wish him luck, get jokingly irritated when I neglected to update him post-surgery, and called tonight to ask Mr. V how he was doing. What a guy! I am truly blessed to have him in my life.

I'm also thankful for my grandmother's house getting sold. It has taken so much pressure off of me, my husband, my brother, and especially my father. Dad jokes around more now, the way he used to before so many things became a burden to him. He is still burdened (aren't we all) but this is one less for him. I am so thankful for the change I've seen in him since the sale.

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 7

Today I am thankful for. . . RUBRICS!

This may sound silly (okay, I know it sounds silly), but I am thrilled to have rubrics to help me grade the papers that my students turn in. It is a difficult thing, grading students' papers, and I never thought it would be so difficult. They are just so subjective! However, rubrics keep me consistent, evaluating the same criteria for each paper. It makes my job much, MUCH faster.

I am also thankful that God blessed me with such a sweet husband who is willing to celebrate birthday week! Today, he surprised me with breakfast in the morning and a trip to get pretzels at Auntie Anne's after school. I almost ruined that surprise by trying to hitch a ride home with a neighbor/coworker/friend who was leaving earlier than Mr. V had planned. Guess it's a good thing that Mr. M had a meeting come up and  he was ready to leave after Mr. V had finished his extra credit day.

It's shaping up to be a pretty special week! I love November!

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 6

Today, I am thankful for my new church family. They are truly just wonderful people. After a long search, I finally feel as though we are among people who love the Lord and want to live in true community with each other. With our hectic, crazy lives (not saying yours isn't, but I know for sure mine is), it can be hard to find time for people and I know I've felt a little lonely since moving out to "the country."

Today at church, they were excited when we came through the door! We've missed a few times since Mr. V's injury and surgery so it is nice to know we were missed, too. After the lesson was over, one of the women from our Growth Group (which we've missed since school started) came over to talk and ask how Mr. V is doing post-surgery. She even apologized for not swinging by to see us when he was in Week 1 of Recovery (apology not necessary). So sweet!

I am so thankful that the Lord has led us here!

And a secondary thanks, I have to say, is for Dawn's Power Clean. I never saw an advertisement for this but goodness gracious, it does an amazing job unsticking stuck on stuff. There is minimal scrubbing involved! This has made my life post-op (for Mr. V) a lot more palatable because it cuts in half the time it takes to do the dishes (normally Mr. V's chore). Love it! So thankful for it!

It's the little things (haven't I said that before?), people! Keep looking for them!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 5

Today, I am thankful for my husband's recovery process. It is hard on him to not be able to bend over or run or lift things. It's not easy on me to have to pick up the napkin that fell off his lap at lunch, lift the logs into and out of the cart and into and out of the car, or do both ends of the laundry and the cooking (he folds and has dish duty normally). It isn't easy picking up the extra slack in my household when I have two stacks of essays to grade and make up work to check. But this week, he is able to drive short distances. I may let him drive to work this week (he seems pretty determined even though it's technically 5 minutes outside of his drive range). He is still off of house and yard work duty, but he ran all sorts of errands with me today - Hobby Lobby, Tuesday Morning, Party City, Target, and lunch at Pei Wei. He even went into Home Depot solo to get something light.

I can't wait for him to pick up his end of the chores again, for him to check the pizza to see if it is done correctly, and to get out of bed without groaning. But for now, I'm so thankful that the surgery was successful and that he is progressing toward a full recovery!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 4

Today, I am thankful that I have been fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time.

Tonight, I went to the football game. It was the last game and I wanted to see my kids play/perform. Plus, I needed to keep an eye on Mr. V. He likes to push his limits - always has, always will - in spite of the fact that he just had back surgery a week ago.

During half-time, toward the very end, a student comes running up to me to let me know that a classmate is really upset but she has been told to go away. My students are my babies so I ran up the steps, through the stands, down the steps, and, upon seeing the kiddo in question, called out to her. When she turned, she didn't look like herself at all. Part of it was the braids she had in her hair for the football game but the other part of it was something wild. I gave her a big hug, because she had been crying and sometimes, you just need a hug. I reassured her that she's a junior and she'll perform again. That's when she told me that her bus had been slow and she had to take another one. That one took her to the school. But we weren't at the school. We were at the football stadium five-to-seven minutes away by car. She had walked all the way. I'm sorry, did I say walked? I meant run. She ran from the school to the stadium. It took her 45 minutes to an hour to get to us. And she had forgotten her coat.

And she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. Thankfully, the drill team sponsor came up and found us and offered to buy her food. She refused it, feeling a little ill.  Everything so far worked out but I am so thankful that I could be there to give her the comforting hug that she needed at that moment. She clung on tight enough that I knew she has meant it these weeks I've known her when she has said that I'm like a parent to her.

I cannot tell you how often a kid at my school needs a parent to be there for them but doesn't have one who fits their needs (at that moment or at all). Being a teen is incredibly rough and some of my students have it hard. It is amazing the number of broken hearts God has sent my way this year. I am so thankful that he has chosen me to be His instrument, mending, comforting, encouraging. And I'm thankful that He gave me favor with the football people tonight because I'd otherwise have run off to Starbucks to do a bit of grading and I'd have missed out on being there for Miss T.

Keep on finding reasons to be thankful! It's only November 4th - we have miles to go before we sleep.

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 3

Oh, the things that I could say today! It has definitely been a long one. A really, really long one. But I am still here and I think it may be an early night for me. Once I finally eat my delicious tacos, that is.

Today, I am thankful that I have a job. Sometimes it frustrates me and sometimes the days are incredibly stressful but I have a job to go to and coworkers that are supportive and  understanding. That is not the case everywhere. I've experienced various work environments and know how bad things can get. Even on the days when I'd like to pull my hair out, I know I can look outside of my classroom and find someone who will make me smile.

It may be small, but it's incredibly important and I am so very thankful for the work that I am able to do, the people I work with, and the goals I work for.

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 2

Today, I am thankful for:

The pasta dishes that Mr. and Mrs. K brought us - delicious! - and the brownies. Oh, wow, the brownies!

The advice that Mrs. K, studying to be a physical therapist, gave to Mr. V about getting out of bed without bending, lifting, or twisting. We're going to have to try that tomorrow! She also told Mr. V that his meds were making him feel better than he actually is and he really should take it slow. I'm so incredibly thankful that she said that because it's exactly what I've been trying to tell him to little effect!

I'm thankful for Mr. M who came by to lift a very heavy (to me) old lawn mower out of my car and ended up able to help me carry in the new fire pit that arrived on our doorstep today, one day ahead of schedule. And I'm thankful for Mrs. M who lent me her husband for some heavy lifting work.

I'm thankful that Mr. and Mrs. R came by a day early to drop off dinner for tomorrow night. After two pasta dishes in a row, I had secretly been craving tacos. Imagine my surprise when they actually brought in all of the fixings for tacos! Amazing!

I'm thankful for (and excited about) the cold front that we're about to experience. And because the cold is coming, I'm thankful for Mr. R, plumber extraodinaire, fixing our fireplace so we have a nice, warm fire when it is chilly.

I'm thankful for my friend, Miss H, who is celebrating a birthday today. May it not be the last one you can enjoy, in spite of what some may say. I fully intend to celebrate and enjoy each year of my life because we never know when it may be our last. I wish for all of my friends to worry less about the number of years in our lives and be more concerned with the life in our years.

Happy November!

Mrs. V

30 Days of Thanks 2011 - Day 1

It has been a couple of years since I first posted my 30 days of Thanks in honor of Thanksgiving. I have decided (albeit a bit late tonight) to go ahead with the project once more as I have tons to be thankful for.

For those of you who read my blog, my facebook, or just my face, you know that lately things have been a bit topsy turvy at the House of V. We're recovering from back surgery. Well, Mr. V is recovery from back surgery. I'm recovering from him having surgery AND trying to recover from his recovery (to be completed, I'm sure, within days of his completed recovery - and a spa treatment or two).

After Mr. V's surgery, he slept a little, ate a lot, and then lost his lunch. Well, dinner. He had just taken his pain pills and wanted to know if he could take more. I hadn't realized just how frazzled I was until I called Mr. T so I could talk to his wife, Dr. T. Dr. T had an early shift at the hospital the next morning but I didn't know it when I called. Mr. T handed the phone to his wife and I explained the situation. She broke the news to me - he would have to wait a bit longer, just until his next appropriate dose, to take his pain pills again to avoid the risk of overdose. She then handed the phone back to Mr. T and (I hope) went right back to sleep.

Having woken her up made me really upset. I felt awful for having woken her up on a Friday night to ask her about pain pills. I got choked up. Mr. T assured me it was fine, no worries on their end, but still I couldn't pull myself together. I hung up and sobbed softly. Which Mr. V found ridiculous. As did Dr. T (though she'd NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS SAY SO BECAUSE SHE IS AMAZINGLY SWEET) when she called to check up on the patient the next day.

So on Sunday, when a new church friend, Mrs. P, asked me if she could do anything, the only thing that has been in my head was "dinners." I told her dinners would be amazing when we went back to work because a) Mr. V isn't supposed to be at work yet but he is anyway; b) I am so far behind at work due to doctors' appointments and the surgery/recovery that it isn't even funny how much I have to catch up on; and c) Mr. V and I make up a team - I cook, he cleans. But he's relieved from household chore duty until further notice and I can't catch up and cook and clean. After tomorrow, I'm out of work clothes and I have to add laundry to my list of things to do. It just keeps piling on.

And it is so incredibly hard for me to ask for help when I need it. I have a stubborn pride that keeps me from reaching out for help even though I yearn to help others.

All this to say that I am so thankful for Mr. V's surgery going so well that he's regaining the ability to walk comfortably (not normally) bit by bit. I'm incredibly thankful that I have such a great friend in Mr. T and that he married an amazing, good hearted woman who has her MD and is used to calls in the middle of the night. And I'm so in awe of the servant hearts that are coming to take care of us this week. What abundant blessings I have!

Take care!

Mrs. V