1st and 4th

This is a month late, but here are our 1st and 4th graders!

 Ryan has Ms. Hayes and Haley has Mrs. Wuerthner. The first month has gone quite well.

Character Education

This year I am teaching a character education elective class. I love it. We were discussing positive attitudes in class. We talked about how there are times in life you cannot choose what happens to you, but you CAN choose your attitude about it. This quote resonated with me and I feel it directly links to my last post about gratitude...

" Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms- to choose one's own attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." - Viktor Frankel

JUSTIN

A few weeks ago I went to see Justin Timberlake with 2 of my oldest friends. This night was epic for so many reasons.

 This photo is our "before" photo. We met for margaritas before the show and rode the lightrail downtown.

This is the "during" picture. The show was beyond awesome and Justin Timberlake killed it. He is so talented and my butt never hit my seat. Once I get to a concert, I don't leave my seat for anything. so, as Jena and Meredith went for drinks, I stayed right where I was. I also do not like to drink too much at concerts because I don't want to miss anything. So, even though the girls were bringing 3 drinks, I was putting mine in their cup holders the whole time. See how mature and responsible I have become?

There are no "after" photos because one person had a dead phone, one person had a cracked phone, and we were all laughing too hard to even think about getting a phone out to take a photo. Our timing after the concert was perfect for the lightrail. We waited about 2 minutes before it came to get us...except we were one the wrong side of the track and missed it. We tried to run for it after it passed and one of us (will not name names) fell TO THE GROUND trying to run and catch it. I will say that it was not me, but the other 2 of us were laughing so hard that we could hardly catch our breaths. Jena reenacted the fall, since she saw it firsthand, at least 5 times (by now you have figured out who did the falling) and I honestly hurt all over from laughing.

I did walk away with a concert tshirt. As we waited for the next train to come, some guys came by and were selling tees for $20. I had $3.50 in my purse and the deal was made!

It was a night for the books. All of it.

Being Human

One of the most unattractive qualities, to me, is being unappreciative. There are some people who find it very easy to complain and very hard to find the good in life, especially those who have so much to be grateful for.

Of course we all have moments or phases in our life that warrant complaints. And, of course, everyone gets to feel down when life isn't at its height, but some people are consistently good about complaining about life, in general, no matter what is going on. It's hard for me to listen to or be around.

That's why it kills me when I dip into a place of envy or self deprecation.It's an ugly place to go. As I have gotten older, these moments are more seldom and are fleeting at best. But, Friday got the best of me and I hated it.

We had a TGIF for our staff. A fellow staff member hosted at her beautiful home. I walked in and all I saw was all that I didn't have- modern decor, a tree lined street, a big backyard. The house was lovely. I then came home and got changed into my cozy clothes. All I saw in the mirror were my physical flaws.

I was able to switch over from negativity to positivity fairly quickly. I do appreciate that I do not stay in that place for long.And (sorry for any males who read this blog) but it was the worst time of the month, hormonally speaking.
 I felt ashamed for feeling those feelings when I have so much to be grateful for.

I wasn't going to talk about it, but when I confided in a friend that I had gone there the day before (after a margarita), she responded in the most nonjudgmental way.

"Jen, of course. We all do that and go there. I know how grateful you are in life. It's just part of being human."

Her response made me feel better, and it's exactly what I would say to someone else. Sometimes I just want to be better (more gracious, less judgmental) than I am. I guess that is part of being human too.

The best thing is that after I felt that way Friday, my weekend was filled with signs of things to be grateful for. Blatant signs, as often show up when I need them thrown in my face.

All part of the journey...