Thursday Thoughts

By the time anyone will probably read this, we'll already be to Thursday - yippee! There's so many little things to blog about that I thought I'd do a little "Thursday Thoughts" update.

#1: Brayden's 6th grade football team is now 5-0. Tonight they played the other undefeated team and the final score was 32-6. (Our win). As I've been part of teams that have a talent for pulling the win out, but not being that overwhelmingly awesome, you get the feeling when you watch these guys play that they really are that good. It's a whole team that is good too - so many contributors to the scores- (and on the other side, preventing the scores). Including (drum-roll please....) - MY SON! Yes, tonight Brayden caught a pass intended for him and stretched the ball over the goal line for a point after conversion. This family is overjoyed.....once again, he had his family fan-club in attendance, and we were all just so giddy. The fact that Brayden was the intended recipient after only the second touchdown was almost as big of a deal to me as well - once again, it just keeps supplying to the conclusion that Brayden is indeed being called to play because the coach believes he can contribute to the team and the score - instead of just playing him because he has too. Sigh......I'm so happy for him.

(Incidentally, buddy-since-pre-school "Tanner" was the one that completed the initial touchdown - so Nancy and I were definitely giving each other high fives with this score....[Tanner is kind of that "super athlete" kid that is awesome at whatever he pursues - and while we always celebrate when Tanner scores - it actually happens a lot! =) ])







This guy with the crazy face is "Donnie" - one of the assistant coaches who has invested most in Brayden. He calls him "Big B" - and is the one that told us how much heart he has. Catching his expressions as he raced to greet Brayden once he got to the sidelines was huge for John and I. (John actually went to high school with him!)




#2: Today I taught first grade for half of a day. (I thought it was supposed to happen on Tuesday, good think I re-checked the date....what a dummy!) Oh my goodness.....it was just as challenging as I remembered. Literally, within the first 5 minutes of meeting the kids, these are just a fraction of the statements I heard from these "precious" little ones:
"I like your boots"
"I like your scarf"
"I like your dress"
"Today is my birthday"
"Did you know we're sisters? - She's my adopted sister"
"The helper is supposed to be the line leader"
"Don't turn off the lights, only the helper turns off the lights"
"Bobby keeps turning off the lights....(this girl is near tears that is telling me)"
"My red butterfly silly band is missing, I think someone stole it"
"Can you ask the class if they've seen my silly band - it's a red butterfly"
"Uh, teacher, what's your name, my butterfly band was left on my desk and now it's gone"

Seriously, that was before I had even begun any sort of instruction. Don't even get me started on what "Calendar Time" is like....there are about 15 different parts to it, and of course the kids expect them to happen in order - and the helper is supposed to choose the kids, but they aren't supposed to raise their hands - but, then there's the birthday girl that should get to do things.....YIKES!

There is definitely a delightful "fun factor" to them, if you can keep up with the pace and get them to relax that "Yes, you will be doing things differently". One of the last things we did for the day was to go over appropriate techniques for dealing with conflict. I really got a kick out of using the "Skunk" puppet and the "Butterfly" puppet to demonstrate the do's and don'ts of dealing with name-calling and teasing - by ignoring or walking away. I have way too much "material" at my disposal with my own kids - so, sure enough, the skunk was named Brayden and Mikayla was the butterfly. As the puppets attacked one another, the kids were in stitches..... =)

#3: We had a couple of gals unable to make last night's meeting due to work conflicts - so we waited to dig into the material until we could all be together. That led to lots of silly and bonding conversations with those in attendance. We all decided to go to see a movie together next week and the ensuing conversation about what kind of candy we'd each want lasted a long time. I love these ladies - and when a couple of them hung around until 10:45 last night, it just made me love them even more.

#4: On Monday, I met up with a high school friend of mine who is a second grade teacher at an elementary school in the district where I teach. I used to sub at the school quite a bit (in my prime) - but now the staff has all changed. Kari kindly walked me around to meet the teachers, and already I have 5 pre-arranged assignments there. (Four for the same 5th grade class....that's definitely my favorite grade - I just hope we like each other!). One of the teachers now working at that school was my student when I taught at the middle school across the street....I'm definitely feeling my age lately!

Good Morning!

Hey y'all - not a lot to report here at "The Cozy Corner" (see Lydia it's not all exciting!). I wish I was Mary who last night Facebooked eating a churro while watching "Fantasmic" at Disneyland. =) My life isn't nearly the adventure it is for Randy and Colie either, who are in Ethiopia right now, ready to meet their brand new daughter!

Nope, today consists of a much-needed work-out, much needed house-cleaning, taking on a first grade classroom for half a day (pray for me, the younger grades are not my strength!) - and then preparing a yummy "breakfast for dinner" of Belgian waffles, eggs, and bacon for the ladies coming over for Bible Study tonight. All this leads me to ask myself why I'm using this very valuable and rare free time right now to be typing....but, it's been a while, so I thought I'd check in.

Whether your day is filled with excitement or just the boring old same-ol' same ol' - I hope it's a good morning for you!

WOSC CCC BFF's

Those letters stand for: Western Oregon State College Campus Crusade for Christ Best Friends Forever.....
Back row: Lisa, Kelly, Lydia, Gretchen Front row: Michele, Renee, and myself

Today, Michele and I reunited with these lovely ladies in Medford. Sadly, it's been three and a half years since we've all gotten together. It just seems like it's always so hard to figure out a time and a place and a gameplan (kids or no kids, spouses or no spouses?). But, once Gretchen declared that her family was moving to Pennsylvania, an immediate visitation was declared. And, suddenly, we all were able to clear our schedules to get together. (I guess that threatening to leave the state of Oregon is what it takes to make it happen!).

Despite the bummer that Gretchen's family is soon to take off (however, the reality is, it's only a 3 year commitment that they agreed to, so by the time she gets back, it will be just in time for our next get-together!), it was a really encouraging time with everyone. It's amazing how we all can be so transparent with each other, confident enough in each others' love for each other to strip our conversation straight to the core right from the start. (When we only had about 6 hours to catch up on the lives of 7 women - there's no time to "talk about the weather"!).

These ladies span the state of Oregon - all of us are still married and the range of kiddos we each have is from one child to seven....(the seven would be Gretchen's family......this is a picture of me with their youngest):

Little "Bo" was adorable, but I have to say he satisfied my baby fix for a while. A couple of the kids were there with us, but as they were Renee, Kelly and Lydia's sweet daughters - we barely saw any of them. If all the kids were in attendance, there would have been 21 of them running around! (And I doubt as we would have gotten any conversation had that been the case!).

We all met 19 years ago - on the campus of what is now called Western Oregon University. The year that we met, they were just launching Campus Crusade for Christ at Western - and we all got involved. We were part of the team of "founding fathers" (or "mothers", as the case may be) to get that program going at our college - and that is a very bonding thing to be part of. Clearly, it's a very strong bond, as it's kept us reuniting over the years.

This was my favorite meeting yet, though. While there were more experiences than ever before that each woman had to share regarding the hardships they've been through - or foresee in the future - I felt like we all have individually grown so much that some of the other things that used to be significant differences among us, are no longer a focal point at all. It's kind of like the high school 20 year reunion vs. the 10 year reunion - there's a whole lot less to prove these days. Instead, there's just a lot more wisdom, understanding, and "I've been there" moments.

I suspect there will be even more bonding between them this evening - as they're all spending the night with each other. I got "bonus points" for getting this whole thing organized, but obviously lost points by having to return back home early with Michele. (Nati has a game tomorrow morning that they really can't miss). Next time, though - whether it's Medford again in 2013, or some place nearer to Pennsylvania in between that time, we'll make the priority to spend more than 6 hours together - as I feel like we just touched the tip of the iceberg in all of the catching up we had to do.

Ziplines, Mazes, and Corn Pits

Inspired by a Facebook advertisement that I found - and then a subsequent word-of-mouth recommendation of the same place to Michele, we decided to try a whole new venue for our annual harvest-time adventures. We were super impressed with the locale - the only thing we'd probably change is the weather for the day - but even that was just fine as the rain held off until we got in the cars to leave.

Today was a no-school day for all 5 of our kiddos - (thank you state of Oregon education budget cuts....). Tomorrow is also a day off - lucky them, huh? (As I look at this picture it actually looks like Mikayla is being affectionate towards her brother, I should blow it up and put in on the fridge so they can be reminded of the right way to treat each other!)

This place had a little bit of everything: a big hay bale slide,


a very cool zipline (I appreciated the swing seat on the bottom.....),



a nice bounty of pumpkins (though I missed the "Cinderella" pumpkins that were found in the pumpkin farm last year...),


and a gigantic corn maze.
This is what it looked like on the "Cheater's Map" (that cost an extra $.50......but, as you'll find out momentarily, was very much worth it).
Because this is the view from a plane flying overhead (obtained from this company's blog) - without a little map, one might get themselves a little lost........

or two, in our case - the boys - who took off on their own without a map. They did have a cell phone though, and not long after we entered the maze did I get a text that said "we're lost ;( " and a few minutes later, a phone call. We ended up yelling for them, and they finally found us. In this picture, Brayden is bringing back Ellie who had gone around the corner to "find the boys".

On rare occasions, Traig can be slightly a "know it all" - so I had to snap this picture of him actually being confused as he didn't exactly know where he was and how he'd gotten lost.

Once the boys joined us, we let them take over the navigation (once they had the map, we trusted them) - so we took our time and let Mikayla take a picture of us.

Once we made it through the maze (3 hours later...nah, just kiddin') - we played a little bit longer at the other attractions.....this one was the duck race, where Traig totally kicked his mom's butt.


Then on to the tractor ride.....



And, then on to the "corn pit". What's especially sweet about this picture to us is that this picture mirrors one that we took of the boys when they were about 3 and 4 years old - playing with styrofoam peanuts. Curse the "bda" (before digital age) of photography that prevents me from easily accessing that photo and showing you all......

(for the record....Brayden's getting a haircut on Thursday....it'll still be surfer-long style, but a little bit less of the mop it is right now)

The girls got in on the act too....

Ahhh, look how big our little boys are getting.....they're growing up so fast.....(truthfully, seeing the boys still playing so carefree like this absolutely warms our hearts!)


A fantastic day, made even more fun for me by the viewing of "Rudy" in the car on the way up and back. (The farm was east of Salem, so it was about an hour's drive for us). I confess that while the kids took the tractor ride, I actually snuck into the back seat of our van and watched the last 20 minutes by myself. (I had been listening to the whole movie while driving, and having seen it before, knew it was worth it to actually see the ending). That movie is SO GOOD.....and I hope it only inspires Brayden more.

Michele and the kids ended up returning back to our house - as tomorrow Michele and I will be driving down to Medford to reunite with our former Western Oregon/Campus Crusade girlfriends. It makes for an even better day for all of us when we have an adventure together and know we don't have to part ways quite yet.

The Pick

INTERCEPTION! Yeah baby!!! Talk about an exciting thing to watch for Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Grandma, and Travis from the sidelines!

So, I need to confess that this football season has really turned into a much more positive experience than I ever expected it would be. (I like it when that happens in life!). Brayden made it very clear when he declared he was going to play football that he knew he was going to have to work very, very hard. And, even if he put his "all" into practices - there were no guarantees that he'd get anything more than the 14 minimum plays that Pop Warner requires. Because, after all, even if Brayden showed up 45 minutes early for every practice, had all of his routes down pat, and picked up his speed during the conditioning time (which he's done) - he would still be a "little kid" on a very talented team.

And yet, Brayden has already played more this season during games than the last two seasons combined. (A contrast to everything we anticipated going into this season with this coach). I started out believing he went in with the "first-team offense" because that's usually when they play the kids who need to get their MPR's (then, they can bench them after they've done their 14 plays - what we've been used to for the past two years). But, then Brayden would stay in - and play additional positions. After that, I figured the coach was just being generous because the team was so far ahead. Well, there may be a partial truth to that - we've virtually demolished the score on every game we've played - reaching the point of preventing our own scores to abide by the 35 point "mercy rule". But, I think there's something more to it all. When I mentioned the whole thing to Travis on the sidelines as we were witnessing him taking some the ball for some running plays - Travis' explanation was simple. "You've seen the movie, Rudy? That's Rudy...." and then he quoted a line from the movie about the coach wishing every kid on the team had as much heart as Rudy had.

Heart - yup, Brayden has it. I'm realizing that more and more as he gets older. As he calls me when he's about to walk home from school, reaching me on my cell phone as I've just completed my time of subbing, he's not content to hear that the day went well. He's asking details, because he cares - he genuinely is excited to hear if his mom had a great day at work and why. (Is this kid gonna make a great husband someday or what? - Oh, wait - then there's the way he treats his sister......hmmmm - the verdict is still out!!). And, I'm also realizing the Brayden is capable of more than I've given him credit for. This whole middle school thing.....responsibility thing? There's been this feeling that if I'm not around to remind him, to look out for him, well, who knows what kind of a disarray everything would end up being? And yet, on the days I leave early, he manages to leave the house at the right time (or even 20 minutes early) - with the house locked, the dog put out, and everything packed in his backpack. So far, the homework seems to be getting done and turned in. And that kid that was coming in third from the last when the kids on the football team were running sprints at the end of practice? Well, the other day, he came in first on one of them (a major goal John had set before him - one I thought was unattainable, and found myself a little irritated at John for pushing him too hard, but instead he rose to the occasion). Unlike his mama - who was always so intrinsically motivated, and crumbled whenever additional goals were set before her, Brayden seems to thrive on these additional goals.

And, too bad one of those goals (with a reward) wasn't an interception. Brayden has been playing largely offense and special teams this year, so we didn't really anticipate the opportunity. But, sure enough - the head coach called Brayden in for just one defensive down towards the end of the game. And what do you know, but the other team decided to pass....right to where Brayden was playing "safety". He caught the pass, ran several yards and then got tackled, about three yards from making a touchdown....(too bad on that one, but at that point, there was no point putting a nail in the coffin for the other team....remember, Brayden has heart!).

No, it wasn't a true "Rudy" moment, there were no tears or anything on the sidelines. But, man, we were all so excited. And the coaches were so happy for him too - which made me so much more happy, because their belief in him - and desire for him to do good - meant even more to me than the "pick" itself. It's always a good thing to have your low expectations exceeded.....

Love These Ladies

(From left to right: Courtney, Kaela, myself, Heather, Christi, Kimmie, Elaina, and Stephie)

And this is our Tuesday night Bible Study-Dinner Fellowship-"Glee" Viewing Party. Last night as folks were addressing some of the things that make them feel low in the whole self-worth department, I let them know how amazing I truly think they all are - each "stars" in their own field and how remarkable I considered it to be that not only could we get everyone to gather together, but that I was so blessed that it would happen in my home.

I think our "Study time" will only get better and better. So far, there's still a lot of quiet (that, of course, leads me to fill the time with my own stories...I just don't do well with "silence") - but it's becoming more and more clear that it's not because the ladies don't have opinions, aren't invested, or are bored, but moreso, the lack of desire to "speak up" in front of anyone else. We'll get 'em warmed up..... =)

Dinner was great - Kaela came over early, which was a huge blessing as I was in a bit over my head in trying to get four different pizzas ready to be eaten simultaneously. They turned out as good as I could have hoped for - and the study material itself seems quite timely with the experiences and feelings these ladies are going through. As for "Glee" - after last week's "Adventure with Brittany Spears", I found myself able to watch it this week without cringing about the content. Which is ironic, because the show addressed religion. While there were certainly some "ideas" that seemed crazy (Grilled Cheesus), I thought it did a great job of capturing what is probably quite typical thinking/believes/questions for high schoolers these days in regards to faith. And, they were fair in not bashing any one belief. For sure, it provoked thought on the subject, and as far as I'm concerned, anytime someone is inspired to really consider their views on God - it's a good thing.

Today, some one on one time with Katy....hopefully some successful "kitchen creation" pics coming soon!

Day Two of Subbing......

I guess I haven't really addressed this whole adventure into this year's realm of substitute teaching. I know it's not necessarily the case in all of the states, but in Oregon, in order to sub, you need to have had a teaching degree. Because of this, substitute teaching probably pays higher than in other states where that is not the case. It also makes for a nice career choice, that allows you to work as little as you want to - but still technically "be employed" (and get summers off!) Prior to having my own classroom at Briggs Middle School, I subbed for about 3 years (by choice....I wasn't convinced I wanted my own classroom up until that point) - and then put in a few sub days here and there once both kids were around. It was quite minimal, as it's always been difficult to juggle the childcare issues to determine if it was really worth it (as getting called to sub can be extremely random).

Thanks to Lisa being willing to pick up Mikayla after school on the days I now get called, I am now "available" to sub on most days. (It's an automated system, so I can enter in if there's days I'm otherwise occupied). Ideally, it would be great to put in 1 or 2 days a week. It's good for me to feel like I'm contributing (vs. having a little too much time to just "spend"), it's a very gratifying job, and financially, well, it's always nice to put something "in" vs. always taking "out". However, unlike the early days when I had teachers eating out of my hands to request me.....nobody knows me now. My name and sub number have not been out there "circulating", and since most teachers that request a substitute usually have a certain one in mind (and can enter that sub's number upon making the request) - my job offers have been few and far between. In fact, I've been thankful to get the two jobs I have had. And speaking of those jobs....

Regarding that one two Fridays ago.....well, let's just say it was a bit of a train wreck. I went in a little more nervous than usual, as I knew two of the other fifth grade teachers. (I had recently met one of them - a friend of a friend - and had graduated high school with another one of them....in fact, I just met his wife and week old baby at our reunion). I felt like I had something to prove going in. So, mustering the confidence of my "early years on the job", I walked in believing I could pull off whatever came my way. Except maybe ABSOLUTELY NO SUB NOTES. A full day with fifth graders - and no notes on what to do with them - except a response letter from the previous day's sub. (Which is another bad sign....being day 2 or 3 in a row of new subs....) So, while trying to calculate how many "gimmicks" I had in my bag of tricks to keep 5th graders occupied all day, I went down to the office to see if anything was left there for me. Nope, nothing. Really, in all my days of subbing, this had never happened to me. The other thing that had never happened.....going back to the classroom to find the teacher there, the one I was supposed to replace - expecting to teach her own class for the day. (Hence, the no sub notes) Yup, she was shocked to see me. Woah, talk about awkward. It turned out that when she realized the previous day's sub wasn't available, she decided to cancel a dr's appt. and go ahead and teach on that Friday - but the secretary never got that 411, and went ahead and scheduled another sub for her (that would be me). Lovely.

She went ahead and took the day off - and let me have the class. She was able to keep that appt. afterall - and gave me about 5 minutes worth of information on what to do with the kiddos. (Regarding math - she pointed to the 2 foot curriculum chart on the wall and said, "You might want to spend your lunch looking over that"....). The class was actually quite good, thankfully, otherwise it could have been a disaster. However, there was an educational assistant that stayed in the class ALL DAY, and felt it necessary to let the kids know when they weren't behaving for me like they normally do for the "real teacher". While I know her intentions were probably to help me out, it's really a very undermining thing to have happen. My authority is kind of zapped, and my hand is forced to step up the discipline when I'm really feeling like I do have control of the class and am quite comfortable with how things are going. The fact that the principal came in to watch me not once, but twice tells me she probably snitched on me too. No, not my best of days on the job.

The next job I "snagged" from the all-powerful automated sub system website was a first grade class last Wednesday at a different school. It wasn't an ideal day for me, nor grade for me (the younger ones take a lot of energy and patience....not my strengths) - but I was happy I "won" a job. An hour later, I received an automated phone call from "Subfinder" telling me that job had been canceled. That's never happened before either. They must have seen my name and immediately canceled the job so they could re-enter it later and get someone else! I'm [kind of] joking.....

So, last night, when a whole different school required a third grade teacher for today, I took it. Time to change the pattern and find a little success in this profession. And, lo and behold, it happened. Today was truly one of the best elementary experiences I've ever had. Great sub plans, excellent class - very respectful but also enthusiastic (the perfect combination). Praise the Lord. I needed a day like today to remember why I wanted to be a teacher when I "grew up".

With the kids having both Thursday and Friday off, I think that's it for the week for me. My house and tomorrow's dinner need some definite preparation before the ladies come over for our Tuesday night dinner-Bible Study-"Glee" experience. Wednesday has me meeting again with Katy, so I won't be actively seeking a job that day either.

So, there you go. That's my "working girl" update (if you can barely call it that). Hopefully, my network will start to grow, sub plans will be left behind, and the other adults that happen to be present in the classes will not turn out to be the most difficult behavior issue in the room!

Oh What a Night!

Tonight was so stressful, so unnerving, so emotional! By the end of the first quarter, I was ready to concede that Stanford really is THAT GOOD, and Oregon is a great team, but we just don't have what it takes to compete against the really amazing teams out there. At that point, we were down 21-3....and the crowd was practically silent in Autzen.

But, our team has proven itself resilient in the past, and with some very clever play calls, we found ourselves only down by one touchdown at halftime. Even, through the second half, as we found ourselves up by one touchdown, and then miraculously up by another touchdown - the crowd still didn't quite believe we could let our breath out. It wasn't until LaMichael James cut through the line of scrimmage and ran about 76 yards down for our third touchdown lead, did my new-found seat neighbor, "Dana", and I, actually allow ourselves to believe we'd leave the stadium with the win. (We were identical in our hold-our-breath nervousness about the outcome of the game).

And, win we did! 52-31....the 4th ranked Ducks took out the 9th ranked Cardinals. And, here's the thing about being so emotionally vested in a sport - or a team. It can be terrible for a person's anxiety, but, when it ends successfully.....oh, what a ride!

So, here I am, giddily overjoyed. What a date night for John and I! The hugs, the high-fives, SO MUCH FUN! And, currently, we are re-watching the game that we DVR'd, to hear the commentary from ESPN's announcers. Brayden's sharing the couch and blanket with me, as John and I give him the heads-up on what is about to happen with the game. It's been a spectacular day - and to conclude this post, some spectacular pictures taken with John's new phone. Oh what a night!





(Incidentally, the Oregon State Beavers also won their home game against Arizona State. It was a deserved win, but not a rollover either.... in other words, a great game to be a part of. Michele and I texted from our seats in separate stadiums to keep each other posted on the other's scores and sanity....Way to go, state of Oregon football!)

I'm Feeling It!

No, we're not actually at Game Day right now. This may sound terrible, but our family has "been there, done that" - and we recognize that the consequences of waking up at 3:30am to secure a good place of viewing of the Game Day guys....was just not worth it. (Cranky attitude, certain need for a nap taking away a chunk of the day, and dealing with cold, bored, and weary kids in a crowd that big....we decided to pass). But, we are WATCHING it....cozy in our living room. The Harvest candle is burning, Russian Tea in my mug, the house straightened up (thanks, family, for the team effort) - and I'm dressed in black - prepared already for tonight's black-out.

I'll admit, we're nervous for tonight. By no stretch of the imagination do we think tonight's game is going to be a roll-over. Stanford is ranked 9th for a reason - and perhaps should be ranked even higher. If we are going to win today, we're going to need to bring our absolute "A" game - everyone's gotta be bringing it. But, I'm thankful we have what Stanford doesn't - the "12th man" - that would be the crowd at Autzen. This evening, the kids are NOT coming with us, assuring that John and I will be focused to bring it - and we are so excited for this "date night" together.

So, here's to a good day.....with perhaps, dare I say it, a promise of giddiness.....

(A few postscripts):

This is the closing image of Game Day today, with Lee Corso wearing the Duck head (another great choice by Corso....) - the guy on the viewer's left is "Justin" who is one of the guys we've befriended through CCF......so fun to see him have the experience of a lifetime!

This is Brayden's efforts towards making a prediction for the game tonight - final score on his PS3 Stanford vs. UO showdown Stanford, 24 - Ducks, 56. I like it!

Finally, proving we are supporters of both Oregon teams, the cupcakes (headed to Amy's house with the kids tonight) - don both team's colors.......