TGIF

You know, it's beginning to be one of my favorite things to do to link up with you coffee company girls, knowing that we're all part of a family, drinking our coffee/tea/hot chocolate/diet Coke, encouraging each other, and almost being a part of each other's lives. Last week I didn't get a chance to comment on anyone's blogs, so I'm determined that, even if it's not until a few days later, I'm going to leave some bloggie comments to my bloggie friends.

Anyway, this has been a long week. I'm pretty emotionally and physically spent this morning, and I'm trying to write this before my students come in all in a panic (see number 2)....oh wait, too late, one just got here. (Literally, as I was typing that I wanted to write before they got here, one walked in..... oh and here comes another one.) Back to my point. It's been really hard to get up in the mornings, because I think things have been so busy (busy busy busy) and there was a particularly hard day and our house is in chaos that I am just exhuasted. But I have to get up and get to school early, because my students are coming in every free minute of my day (back to number 2). So I'm beat, and I have never been more thankful for Friday.

But, before I tell you a few things that have been going on, let me focus on something incredible.

I always have the radio on in the mornings, but I don't really pay attention to the words of the songs- in fact, I often just sing what I want as a prayer to the tune of whatever song is on. This morning though, I was too tired to do anything but drive and try not to get in an accident on my icy drive to work. But through the fog that was my mind, I heard a clip of a song - actually heard it. And here's what I remembered.

Hallelujah. I will sing to lift You up forever. You are my King.

New favorite, although no idea what the song is, or what the tune is, or who wrote it.

Anyway, here's my life.

1. Both last Wednesday and Thursday and this Wednesday and Thursday saw me not going home from 6:30 am - 9 pm because I had meetings after school and then had to be here for 8th grade night, Choice night, Acoustic Cafe, and Lyrical Lounge (as the Student Council sponsor). All of it was fun, but it's hard to be here (at school) that much.

2. Literally every free minute of my days at school this week has been taken up with students. It's my own fault really, because I gave them what I call a "No-fault Quiz." This was a quiz given on the first day of the semester as a review of the major grammar concepts from first semester- and the deal was they have to get a 100% or they get a 0, but they could take it four times a day until the end of January. It worked out to 41 opportunites to get a 100%. But, as is normal, most of them waited until the last few days to re-take.... and so they have swarmed my classroom before school, during Seminar (a free period), at both lunches (my only planning period), and after school. Today is the last day, thank goodness.

3. I had a really hard day on Tuesday. An angry mother called and hurled accusations from years past - the things that were said were mean, hurtful, and often crazy sounding. What triggered the call was a minor detail, but she took the opportunity to vent everything she had apparently been holding onto for years. I managed myself pretty well, I think- was calm and listened and didn't try to defend myself- she wouldn't have heard it- but I did try to make clear that I enjoy having her son in class. Afterwards, my administrators told me she'd pretty much earned herself a reputation as a crazy and that I shouldn't listen to her and if she ever called me again, to hang up and let them deal with it. Sigh, what a relief. That didn't stop me from bawling my eyes out and going home and putting on pjs and just crashing.

4. Kitchen progress is under way. It's exciting, but it's a disaster, and with how busy I've been, the disaster has crept into other parts of the house. (I won't show you those pictures, though!)

A few pictures of the mess getting worse...

And a few pictures of things getting a little bit better...

5. We have small group tonight, which is a good thing, but this last week held a few a surprises with that, as well. I'm looking forward to spending some time with friends and hearing a new friend's story, but I wonder how or if we'll talk about any of the other things. And I'll have to try to stay awake.... but they usually don't mind if I'm drowsy.

Okay, that's it for me! (It's only taken me a few hours to get this post done from start to finish, with student interruptions and a class to teach.)

May you have a blessed week, and let's remember to sing to our King.