midway March?

Already this week halfway through?

-Students completed the CSAPs! Some with lots of focus and attention, others with less. I am proud of my testing group for having perfect attendance. I made sure to let the AP and Principal know that fact. :)

-Began girl's soccer try-outs last week and don't have a team yet because we had about 80 girls total come out for try-outs! If my popularity was up before this, it is about to go down when we cut down to 20. The good thing is the after school program has decided to form their own soccer program too, so the girls who don't make our team can do that. I am excited, and really like coaching so far.

- Ran the 5K last weekend in 33 minutes, not too shabby! Trying to keep up the running so I can do more races this spring, but it's been hard this week with lots of meetings and now soccer practice every day. But I want to keep it up.

-2 of my favorite students got in a pretty extreme verbal argument this week that got me pretty down. They are best friends and one is just much more insecure than the other one. I tried to mediate a bit the day of, gave them the night to sleep on it, I slept on it, thought a lot about it.. Baked brownies for them for the next day, and it warmed my heart up so much to see B shake D's hand the next morning in my class. :) I would never want to repeat middle school and all the confusing, extreme emotions that it evokes.

- My best friend came to visit this weekend and made me SO happy. We played a little big of hookey on Friday and visited Red Rocks and Coors Brewery then yesterday spent all day downtown Denver for St. Patrick's Day celebrations. So good to see her, so good to check in with someone who knows me outside of this existence here... goodness all around.

Things for the spring are looking good if this weather and these activities are just a preview - just need to find a job and start carving out the summer/ next year. I am itching to travel, but time and money may be too much of an issue to consider that.

My fears? Not finding a job that I want that is going to keep me here, being alone, other bigger picture things are what are currently forcing me to channel courage. I am pretty comfortable at work right now, while it's stressful I am grateful for the people and kids that really help me enjoy being a teacher. I just hope that the skills and lessons I've picked up so far will lead me towards my next stone on this journey. I really think that embracing this whole thing as a journey has forced me to use a lot of courage lately, to let go of viewing myself as fleeting from here once again, moving on to a different stage. While I am looking to move on, it's in a more local direction. I think I need more courage to infuse myself with more self-confidence and resilience to heartbreak. Embracing the independence I know so well but being open and giving with the love I do have to give.

So grateful for the spring springing up around us here in Denver. Grateful for my best friend, my new friends, my old friends and my family. Grateful for new ideas and new, healthy living habits. Grateful for the present moment.