I'm just going to come right out with it. This week stinks. I haven't felt this overwhelmed in a long while. Argh. Just to give you an idea of what I've got on my plate for the next few days give or take a week...
1) Analyze bacterial samples from school with enrichment class (Wed/Thurs).
2) Run salivary amylase and starch digestion lab with 8th graders (Thurs/Fri).
3) Finish final proposal for literacy and inquiry-based science instruction grant. (Wed)
4) Update gradebook (YESTERDAY!)
5) Call any parents whose children are not above a C. (Wed)
6) Finalize grades for end of semester (Friday BY 3:15).
7) Prep for new enrichment class on "The Science of Sleep" starting Monday.
8) Have room and equipment ready for district technology coordinator to come and observe my classroom (Friday).
9) Read articles on race relations for equity training (Friday).
10) Prep for Parallel Curriculum guru and orginiator who will observe my classroom and train (ALL NEXT WEEK!!!)
11) Shower - hmmmm
12) Sleep - After my 20th year of teaching!
13) Eat - I needed to diet anyway.
14) Be a wife and friend to my amazing husband! - Always!
Is it almost time for spring break??? Please keep me in your prayers this week. More soon...
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Monday, January 16, 2006
AFC Divisional Champs
The Almighty Broncos have made it to the AFC Championship Game. And thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for defeating the Indianapolis Colts, which brings the AFC Championship Game here to the great city of Denver. The game vs the New England Patriots was awesome. Last minute, Meg, one of my co-workers, Max, and I scored free tickets and were hosted by one of our subcontractors. We sat in some great seats! The crowd was deafening all through the game while we were on defense. It was so fun to a part of the "12th man" on the field with all of the other 75,000 people (+/- a few), mostly wearing orange and blue. Orange and blue never seem to look as glorious as when symbolizing the greatest football franchise ever. Denver capitalized on 5, count them 5, Patriot turn-overs and in the end were victorious over the two-time Superbowl Champions.
Champ Bailey had the play of the game when he intercepted a pass in the New England end zone and almost ran it back over 100 yards for a touchdown. We now look ahead to host the Steelers next Sunday, to see who will go to Superbowl XL (40). Denver must get a lot more from the offense this next game to beat this tough team. See you all in Detroit! GO BRONCOS!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
It's official! I'm addicted!
...To the mountains that is!!!! After last week's jaunt to Keystone, I fiend all week long to get back to view, the smell, and the height of those purple majesties. Our ski pass for the season offers us admittance to 5 area mountains: Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Heavenly. This week we chose Vail.
AMAZING! (I'm sure you could tell, as amazing needed it's own line!)
Again, the drive was scenic and this time sun poured down on just about every angle of the mountainside. Our friends, Matt and Stacey, drove due to a ski rack and cross bars debacle we had on our Saturn the night before. (It always seems to take 3 hours longer than what the average installation says on the box. ) It was going to be a beautiful day and in the 50's too!
I decided that skiing in the mountains wouldn't be enough to satisfy my need for speed. So, on Friday, I stopped by one of our local ski/snowboard shops and rented myself a snowboard! Yes, preppy, nerdy, me! Where this absolute need for adventure has arisen from, I have no idea. I have never boarded before in my life and had no idea what I was doing. Thus, enters the $110 all-day group lesson. While I had to swallow a big gulp on that fee, I wanted to play it safe up on the slopes and learn the proper way to handle a board fully aware of my ultimate klutz capabilities. A quite unusual thing happened however. Our "group" had a rather odd number to it on Saturday: 2! For the price of a group lesson, I basically received an all-day PRIVATE lesson at VAIL! It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. My instructor was amazing and made the learning process so much fun! Needless to say, I just might be a convert! I loved it!
While I was off taking my lesson, Chris, Matt and Stacey headed off to explore the rest of the mountain. All was well for the first part of the day - Chris even put his talents to a Black Diamond (most difficult) run and did remarkably well! After lunch, things didn't work out so well for Stacey though. During a spill on the mountain, she broke her knee! We all loaded up a bit early and headed back to Denver to get her to the doctor. Fortunately, there are lots of things that can be done to help her heal and get back on her feet.
That's about it for the weekend! Aside from Jack deciding that he is now a dog (see pic below), not much else is new. Have a great week!
Curious or Confused? You decide.
AMAZING! (I'm sure you could tell, as amazing needed it's own line!)
Again, the drive was scenic and this time sun poured down on just about every angle of the mountainside. Our friends, Matt and Stacey, drove due to a ski rack and cross bars debacle we had on our Saturn the night before. (It always seems to take 3 hours longer than what the average installation says on the box. ) It was going to be a beautiful day and in the 50's too!
I decided that skiing in the mountains wouldn't be enough to satisfy my need for speed. So, on Friday, I stopped by one of our local ski/snowboard shops and rented myself a snowboard! Yes, preppy, nerdy, me! Where this absolute need for adventure has arisen from, I have no idea. I have never boarded before in my life and had no idea what I was doing. Thus, enters the $110 all-day group lesson. While I had to swallow a big gulp on that fee, I wanted to play it safe up on the slopes and learn the proper way to handle a board fully aware of my ultimate klutz capabilities. A quite unusual thing happened however. Our "group" had a rather odd number to it on Saturday: 2! For the price of a group lesson, I basically received an all-day PRIVATE lesson at VAIL! It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. My instructor was amazing and made the learning process so much fun! Needless to say, I just might be a convert! I loved it!
While I was off taking my lesson, Chris, Matt and Stacey headed off to explore the rest of the mountain. All was well for the first part of the day - Chris even put his talents to a Black Diamond (most difficult) run and did remarkably well! After lunch, things didn't work out so well for Stacey though. During a spill on the mountain, she broke her knee! We all loaded up a bit early and headed back to Denver to get her to the doctor. Fortunately, there are lots of things that can be done to help her heal and get back on her feet.
That's about it for the weekend! Aside from Jack deciding that he is now a dog (see pic below), not much else is new. Have a great week!
Curious or Confused? You decide.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
We're Baaaaack!
Hello there!
It has been far too long since our last post! I'm sure that you can all understand due to the holidays and all. Chris and I had a wonderful visit to Michigan. We were so fortunate to see so many of our friends and family. It truly made the holidays complete! While it was my second time back, it was Chris's first. Needless to say, we went all over the place! This year marked Chris's golden birthday...he turned 25 on the 25th...and since we were back with family and friends, it was one of his best birthdays ever! I welcomed him with open arms into the new age brackets that are on all the forms we fill out so often - no more 18-24! We're in the mid-20's now! He seemed to make the shift pretty gracefully and with the help of a few beers at The B.O.B. with friends, the shift was made that much easier. :) A good time was had by all!
Between visits here, there, and everywhere, we were plenty pooped when we returned back to Denver. Chris had to return to his job at MYC the morning after we got back. I stayed in bed and then moved to the couch. Tough job, but someone had to do it! We eased back into things here and were so excited to be able to play with our pets again! Our friends graciously took care of Jack and Layla and managed to make sure that our apartment stayed in tact too. I think that Jack even gained a few pounds in our absence!
New Year's Eve day was a blast! Chris and I, along with our friends Matt and Stacey went skiing at Keystone. It was the first time for Chris and I this year, so we WERE EXCITED!!!! We left our apartment at 6:30 a.m. and were off down I-70 for the hour and a half drive through the foothills, the Eisenhower Tunnel and then up Highway 6. I could hardly stand the anticipation of what it was going to be like to ski in the mountains for the first time in my life!
It was everything I had ever hoped it to be! We spent some time on some of the green trails and then even moved our way onto some blues (intermediate level). The craziest thing was how long it took to go down the trails! We skied all day and only covered 7 runs!! The day was filled with lots of smiles, laughs and of course, bloopers. There were a couple of really hilarious falls on all of our parts - a ski day wouldn't be complete without them! Up next: Vail this Saturday! I'm so glad we got those ski passes!!
Chris's job in Longmont has been quickly wrapping up. He has worked so hard and put in many weekend hours before our trip to Michigan to get things all tied up. With that job coming to a close, he gets a little bit a of a break from the long drive up north and will be doing estimating work at the Denver office - a mere 3 miles away! Yay for saving gas money!!! He especially likes working in the Denver office because the extra time in the morning leaves room for working out and sleeping in a little bit later.
School started back up for me on Monday. We were one of two, yes two, districts in the ENTIRE STATE that had school. Hey, at least the drive was easy Monday morning! :) The kids have been pretty quiet as it slowly sinks in that they are back and have to begin doing that thing called learning again. Go figure, learn? At school? Naaa! :) Gotta love the 8th grade! Needless to say, I am a bit groggy myself getting up at 5 a.m. I think I hit the snooz 4 times this morning alone. We are working pretty hard now on human anatomy and the kids still seem to be interested. Let's hope I can still keep them hooked!
The Rose Bowl is now deep into the first half. Isn't it funny that a bunch of roses can mean so much? Men are funny creatures.
Enjoy the pics from our ski trip below! More soon!
Skiing at Keystone! (Elevation 12,200 ft above sea level)
The views were incredible! (If you click on the pictures, they will enlarge on your screen for a better view!)
Stacey and I were actually sliding down the hill in this picture! It just happened to turn out like we were posing!!
My honey and I. :)
I guess that is what lack of oxygen can do! What a goof!
Swish! I was often mistaken for a pro up on the slopes.
After skiing for 6 hours, I was pooped and ready to go home.
It has been far too long since our last post! I'm sure that you can all understand due to the holidays and all. Chris and I had a wonderful visit to Michigan. We were so fortunate to see so many of our friends and family. It truly made the holidays complete! While it was my second time back, it was Chris's first. Needless to say, we went all over the place! This year marked Chris's golden birthday...he turned 25 on the 25th...and since we were back with family and friends, it was one of his best birthdays ever! I welcomed him with open arms into the new age brackets that are on all the forms we fill out so often - no more 18-24! We're in the mid-20's now! He seemed to make the shift pretty gracefully and with the help of a few beers at The B.O.B. with friends, the shift was made that much easier. :) A good time was had by all!
Between visits here, there, and everywhere, we were plenty pooped when we returned back to Denver. Chris had to return to his job at MYC the morning after we got back. I stayed in bed and then moved to the couch. Tough job, but someone had to do it! We eased back into things here and were so excited to be able to play with our pets again! Our friends graciously took care of Jack and Layla and managed to make sure that our apartment stayed in tact too. I think that Jack even gained a few pounds in our absence!
New Year's Eve day was a blast! Chris and I, along with our friends Matt and Stacey went skiing at Keystone. It was the first time for Chris and I this year, so we WERE EXCITED!!!! We left our apartment at 6:30 a.m. and were off down I-70 for the hour and a half drive through the foothills, the Eisenhower Tunnel and then up Highway 6. I could hardly stand the anticipation of what it was going to be like to ski in the mountains for the first time in my life!
It was everything I had ever hoped it to be! We spent some time on some of the green trails and then even moved our way onto some blues (intermediate level). The craziest thing was how long it took to go down the trails! We skied all day and only covered 7 runs!! The day was filled with lots of smiles, laughs and of course, bloopers. There were a couple of really hilarious falls on all of our parts - a ski day wouldn't be complete without them! Up next: Vail this Saturday! I'm so glad we got those ski passes!!
Chris's job in Longmont has been quickly wrapping up. He has worked so hard and put in many weekend hours before our trip to Michigan to get things all tied up. With that job coming to a close, he gets a little bit a of a break from the long drive up north and will be doing estimating work at the Denver office - a mere 3 miles away! Yay for saving gas money!!! He especially likes working in the Denver office because the extra time in the morning leaves room for working out and sleeping in a little bit later.
School started back up for me on Monday. We were one of two, yes two, districts in the ENTIRE STATE that had school. Hey, at least the drive was easy Monday morning! :) The kids have been pretty quiet as it slowly sinks in that they are back and have to begin doing that thing called learning again. Go figure, learn? At school? Naaa! :) Gotta love the 8th grade! Needless to say, I am a bit groggy myself getting up at 5 a.m. I think I hit the snooz 4 times this morning alone. We are working pretty hard now on human anatomy and the kids still seem to be interested. Let's hope I can still keep them hooked!
The Rose Bowl is now deep into the first half. Isn't it funny that a bunch of roses can mean so much? Men are funny creatures.
Enjoy the pics from our ski trip below! More soon!
Skiing at Keystone! (Elevation 12,200 ft above sea level)
The views were incredible! (If you click on the pictures, they will enlarge on your screen for a better view!)
Stacey and I were actually sliding down the hill in this picture! It just happened to turn out like we were posing!!
My honey and I. :)
I guess that is what lack of oxygen can do! What a goof!
Swish! I was often mistaken for a pro up on the slopes.
After skiing for 6 hours, I was pooped and ready to go home.
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