The Scampering Horse

   This is my first year as a teacher. I teach middle school math, Civics, and English. I am not sure if civics should be capitalized and math should not. The capitalization of English as a subject, I am confident on. In my mind, English is much less capitalized than the other two, because I require so much prep time, and they make me a little anxious. Teaching poetry elements is like swimming in a hot tub.    The school I teach at is surrounded by farmland. The middle school and high school are combined. The superintendent office is in the building. All the students have the same lunch period. We play 8 man football, and are seriously considering going to 6 man. There is not even an Alco here. It is a small school.    I have the 7th graders three times during the day. They move from class to class together. I see them for English, Civics, and Math. I also frequently eat lunch with them in the cafeteria. I also see them before school while they are playin...

My last post, when I ran 33 miles in one day, I was the queen of the world. Today, I ran 0 miles and I am the queen of nothing. Work was hard today. I wasn't feeling one-hundred percent physically-tummy issues. Also, I was tired. Plus, since I am new and taking each day as it comes, I wasn't absolutely prepared in every way for every class period, and my students were in and out of classes testing for NEWA (that stands for something), so they were off their schedule. Also, I got out of bed late, and my two year old didn't have any clean shirts so he had to re-wear yesterday's dirty shirt, and I was out of peaches for breakfast and I had to have apples with my cottage cheese instead. Peaches are better. And these were not the first defeats of the season. Last week I spent a ton of time with my dad fighting a speeding ticket in Sterling, CO, and the judge was nice but didn't like my defense and I had to pay that stupid ticket anyway. Don't get me wrong, I am...

I just ran a lot. The event was Ragnar. It is a thing people pay to do because our lives aren't difficult enough. And people like to do hard things together Also, it is fun. Ragnar is a 200 mile relay race where each team has a runner going throughout the day and night. Did I mention people pay to do this? I just kind of can't get over it. I paid. There is a culture surrounding the event, involving costumes, vans with writing on them, glow-sticks, and a symbol that looks like an alien butterfly. Doesn't' that thing look like an alien butterfly? Anyway, I had planned on doing a trail Ragnar earlier in the year. That is where you camp, and run along trails. I love camping. I love running: it seemed like the perfect combination. Unfortunately, that event didn't work out for me for a few different reasons. But, the seed had been planted in my mind to do a Ragnar, and I was waiting for the opportunity to try one out and see if it is for me. This past Thursday mor...

I have started a new thing. It is an intense exercise program where someone else tells me what to do and I do the workout with a bunch of people. I find it very similar to personal training, but there are other people to workout with you. Some people call this program "Cross-fit," but I hesitate to tell you that because then you will think I can do a pull-up and that I throw up when I am working out.  I can't do an unmodified pull-up, and I haven't thrown up. I am still me, guys. Relax. It is just kind of a  cult . Not a big deal. Here is something super different about me though. I am changing what I eat.  I have never ever followed a program. Never. At all. Not weight watchers, not calorie counting, not anything. I tried to be vegetarian for a month or two my sophomore year in college, and I got really tired, and quit that. I am being basically the opposite of vegetarian right now. I can't even think about all the cute little animals...can't think about it...

My friend asked me why I watch "The Bachelorette" and  "The Bachelor." I think it is the same reason ancient Romans watched the Gladiators. It starts off with a group of people, and you watch them fight, and compete in a huge arena for survival. The goal is to be the last one standing. I don't think people who watched the Gladiators were anxious to be in the arena. It was just so awful, horrific, and spectacular, they couldn't look away. Kaitlyn, and a rose. This franchise keeps the rose industry hopping. So, this season has been especially awful. It started with two bachelorettes: Sweety Britt, and Hilarious Kaitlyn.  The 25 men voted for which bachelorette they wanted to date by putting a rose into a box with their name on it. It was such a weird way to start the season, increasing the power plays and competitive nature on every single level. Britt went home, but she had a guy follow her, so it is going to be OK for her. Don't worry. Her ...

Yoga has been summoning me back lately. So, today is the second time I've been a yogi this week. I brought my 9 year old daughter along with me both times. She had physical therapy for tippy toe walking. Such walking creates inflexibility and shortening of things that shouldn't be shortened within the calves area. I thought yoga would help with it, so along she comes. Plus, I love one on one time with my kiddos. She spends about 20 minutes in child's pose. The rest of the class is doing other things. But, the teacher said at the beginning of class that we could go into child's pose whenever we wanted, and my daughter took her at her word. She wants to be in child's pose a lot. I am doing other things. Planks, and downward dogs, and extended runners lunges, and baby back bends, and mountain poses. There she is, child's posing. I sometimes think she is sleeping, but then I hear her deep breaths, like the ocean. Sometimes she gets up from child's pose...

Dear Ian, This is the first Father's Day since we've been married that I haven't been with you. That makes me kind of sad, because---you are the best dad ever. Watching the love and fun you bring into our home is amazing. Your Dadding skills are even better than your excel skills. I remember your first moments as a dad. That baby came by c-section, and so I was an inactive participant in the birth of our child, puking into a bucket, and feeling really pretty.  There you were holding my hand and giving me a play by play of what was happening to my giant purple uterus. Then the baby emerged into the world. You were wearing scrubs, and those funny blue slippers the hospital puts over shoes to keep things sanitary, and a shower-cap hat. You looked awesome. You were able to hold our little girl first. And you said, "I'll try not to drop her," and then bounced out of the room while I listened to them counting the blades, ensuring none were left lying inside my a...