Good times with students

For all of the tough times with teenagers, there are also good times. Like field trips where we get to watch them transform from 17 to 7.



Or watching them participate in a "hug booth" activity where they "hug" their Dean of Students' soon-to-be-born baby.

Snow Days Rock.

Is there anyone out there with whom I have not shared my love for snow days? Doubtful.

This one was fantastic.

Because I was so excited, I never fell back asleep after my 5:50 phone call. It really is that exciting.

The whole day was nice - walks outside, dancing in my dance room, lunch with friends. . . .

The evening was even more fun. Amy and I laughed a lot, took some risks, made a few more friends - some real, some, uh, cold and snowy. Check out Martha below.



Luckily (yes, I was a girl scout) I took my snow shovel along, so while Amy brought Martha to life, I shoveled a track around the iceless skating rink so we could skate.




After a stop at our favorite coffeeshop, Amy and I walked around the town and took some pictures. Well, Ok, I took pictures and worked on being "Lou-quacious" (Amy's new term for my hyper, talkative states) while Amy waited for me to burn through some energy.








It was a good day. And good night. LOVE those snow days!

TAG, you're it.

There's a really neat group of "artistically motivated students" in town - TAG, or Teen Advisory Group. They are a group dedicated to showcasing teen creativity at the Creative Spirit Center.

Here's one incredibly inspiring young woman.
Amanda is so good that she doesn't even need fingers on her right hand to play guitar.


A special treat at the end of the night was to hear Amanda sing with Jordan. It was beautiful.


Other talents showcased included artwork and poetry reading. These are some VERY TALENTED teens. Check out www.creativespiritcenter.org for future events.

Feeding the craving

Strange as it may be, I rarely get homesick for the house where I grew up. I do, however, get very homesick every winter for the cottage. Or maybe it's homesickness for summer. Whatever the case, I try to get my "fix" when I can, even if it's silly to spend 3 hours driving just to hang out for a 2.5 hours. . .

After checking on all three cottages (my parents, my neigbors and my sisters), I stopped at the local vet clinic to see my favorite dog in Caseville. . .oh, and to say hi to the coolest vet I know! Hoover is lying in wait for nervous doggies to come in and visit.


The breakwall was chilly, but at least it wasn't full of snowdrifts, so it was a good spot for a walk.


Winter sure is wierd in a summer resort town. Check out how I got in this picture (and didn't realize it until I saw it big on the computer screen!)


Summer, come back soon.

Fridays, Fish and Fashion

It's that time of the year again: Lent. It sounded like fun to start it off right by inviting some good friends over for a fish dinner!

Chad and Jill "practice" with Shawn. Don't they look like they'll be great parents?!


After dinner and the exodus of most guests, Amber tried on some dresses for an upcoming event. Her socks were a beautiful addition to this outfit.


Amy was suitably impressed by the show.

Random thursday musings.

Did you know that, on average, men use approximately 7,000 words a day while women use around 20,000?

I wonder if this blog counts toward my total? Regardless, I think that I probably help keep the women's average up. That's been a part of my personality (my "loquaciousness," according to one friend) that I've been very embarrassed about at times but - I think? - have come to accept as just being part of who I am.

Of course, there are the moments where I realize that I'm gushing words, seemingly without being able to stop. Those are the moments where the little voice inside is saying, "stop. stop talking. Stop Talking. STOP TALKING!!!!!" I had one of those moments today. Sigh.

Anyway. The big-word-friend from above suggested that I blog about a topic that I was passionately orating on today (while he stuck to minimal grunts in order to keep his word total low): Modeling.

Nope, not fashion modeling, but the kind of modeling we ALL do EVERY day.

Do you ever stop to think about what messages you are giving out? Have you ever considered what your actions are saying about you, how they are swaying others, or what younger people are learning from you???

It's not my place to judge anybody and I certainly wouldn't want that responsibility. However, I recognize changes in our world that are not all positive. Whose "fault" are they? Doesn't matter. We EACH have a chance to be part of the solutions, or part of a "better way." Please let me encourage you to be intentional in the choices you make in order to help move our world in a more positive direction.

Consider:
How do you treat people, especially those who are in service positions? Do you gossip or talk meanly about people?

How much do you drink? When? Where? Are there ever underage people around? Do you talk about drinking in front of underage people - and if so, how do you frame it for them?

How hard do you work? Do you stay positive on the job? Do you look for solutions or just point out problems?

Are you exercising, eating well and taking care of your body overall? What are your choices for hobbies? How often do you make the choice to be healthy?

Do you follow through with what you say you're going to do? Are you honest and honorable? Do you live with integrity?

What are you not comfortable with in your life right now? What choice(s) do you need to make to make that situation right for you?

I could go on for eons, but I think you get the drift. I invite you to strive with me to ponder these questions and make some choices so that we may be intentional in this world of our creation.

Relaxing sunday habits.

Good times with good people and good music.

Amber and Jason discuss their desert choices.

Check out Tony's "new" haircut. . .(well, new to me, anyway!)