But that would be a much better excuse for why I haven't written anything since July 28. Nor have I joined the CIA, or climbed Kilimanjaro, or eloped in Antarctica, or lost all connectivity to the internet, or joined a monastery in northern France (that last one would be a difficult feat, for several reasons). Instead, I have to use my old fallback: school started.
Here are five highlights from the past 10 weeks or so:
1. A wedding!
Aaron and Tammy got married! I promised pictures a long time ago, and I am profusely sorry to not be posting them before now. The wedding was in the Adirondacks, and it was a small affair because of the location. The whole day was beautiful, though, and the result of it was that my family grew exponentially. Welcome Tammy and relatives!
2. Princeton and the Daks
In conjunction with the wedding, I was able to spend three weeks at home, between Princeton and the Adirondacks. The combination of seeing family and kayaking every day was a great way to finish up a very full summer!
3. LOC
During the first week of school, I once again traveled with the middle school up to LOC - the Leelanau Outdoor Center - in northern Michigan. We spent four days hiking over dunes, canoeing through a very shallow river, singing camp songs, doing team-building activities (well, I got to watch that part), climbing across ropes courses, and sitting around camp fires. It's not a bad way to start the year!
4. DiscoveryBound camping/canoeing trip
Last month, I tagged along with the local DiscoveryBound group for an overnight camping experience and canoeing trip. For those of you unfamiliar with DB, it's a nationwide organization that arranges fun activities for CS teenagers. No, I am not a teen, but I am starting to get more involved with the local chapter as more of a chaperone.
Although neither my sunglasses nor my cell phone returned home with me from this excursion, it was well worth it. We canoed under austere skies, made dinner in aluminum foil packets cooked over an open fire, and had church outside at the end of a dock. It also gave me the chance to try out my new sleeping bag, which was an exciting event in and of itself. :)
5. Second year of teaching
This isn't so much one particular event as it is a general experience. I am now six weeks into the new school year, and it is so fun to not be the newbie anymore! I am enjoying working with the eighth graders, who for the most part came back to school ready to focus and learn something, and it has been fun getting to know the seventh graders, who seem to have a perpetual excitement for being in school. So far we have tackled To Kill a Mockingbird and the Industrial Revolution in seventh grade, and Fahrenheit 451 and Elizabethan England in eighth.
I have also jumped full swing into my ad hoc responsibilities around the school, including leading two school assemblies on creativity. (Our school follows 12 Character Building Qualities throughout the year, focusing on a different one each week. A teacher or staff member is responsible for leading assemblies on Mondays and Fridays to discuss these CBQ's.) My assemblies included the idea of finding creative ways to express everyday things, such as clothing. Monday was stripes, Friday was, as you see above, dressing in all one color.
I haven't posted many pictures from the year yet, but I have shared pictures of my daily date - faithful fans may remember from last year that I draw the date on my board differently every day. Here they are so far:
Of course, every day brings new highlights, but if I described all of them, it would be way too much for even the most diligent reader to follow. :)
I hope you are all well!
