July 2017 Currently.....

Big Time Blogging Challenge is underway this month and I love reading what my friend Michelle posts! She posted a super-cool "Currently" theme. I am not ambitious enough to fill ALL of those out so I "borrowed" an old template from Farley at Oh Boy! It's Farley. I don't know if that is legit or not. If I was ambitious and had some free time, I'd create a new template because I would love to change some of the prompts. But my ambitions don't lie with learning PowerPoint, sad but true. And time.... well, I feel like I've already gone past my allotted time for this morning and this post. Also sad, but since I'm a teacher in summer, probably not all that true.

So the last prompt was 4th of July and that ship has sailed, so I changed it in my not so savvy way.

Listening to the dogs in the yard is about as close to listening to the sounds of silence as it gets. So I am soaking it up. And there is also the sound of heavy equipment being unloaded and rumbling by and that is exciting too because my friend and her family are the recipients of the 2017 McPherson Area Habitat for Humanity house being built right around the corner. We could call this area H4H housing! There are now 4 of them within a block of each other and the new one is going up in the lot next to the house they built last summer! My house (of course), and my friend Rebecca's house is just a stone's throw out my back door, and the other two are in the block behind me on the street that I used to refer to as "crack row." Now it is H4H row!

Loving all things summer! I am doing very little teachering (it's a legit verb, trust me). Partially because I don't know what lies ahead in a new building and new grade level. And partially because I really needed a summer! I cleaning (okay, not so much), tie-dying, crafting, connecting with friends, and doing my best to get on track with my health.

Thinking about this upcoming trip! We leave the state on Sunday! So for me, this thing starts on Sunday. But really, for my bestie, it starts on Saturday because she is coming to stay over so we can head out bright and early. "Did I tell the mechanic everything he needs to know?" "Don't forget to call your insurance agent!" "Did I do everything I need to do to prepare my kids?" "What about...." And then there are these thoughts.... "We have to remember to take a picture here (fill in the word here with about 255 places)" and "I am so stoked about all things New Mexico (okay not totally true, some things about New Mexico.... not-so-much-- insert puke face emoji here)." But there is car cleaning and washing and packing and making arrangements for kids and, and, and....

Wanting to be obligation free.... and tie-dying. I have stuff to do, so there's a part of me that wants tie-dye time to be OVER. But there are some upcoming birthdays that I haven't finished the gifts for and those are soaking in soda ash already. So I am committed. (p.s. the mailman just knocked on my door which means my dyes and chemicals are here.... Christmas in July is a real thing people!)

Needing to adult again and "take care of business" as my friend says. Blech. And there's some homework involved here that I don't know how to even articulate about.

Wondering.... what lies ahead. So many things!! I don't even know where to start! The world of tie dye is growing into this entity that is taking on a life form of its own! I am so super excited! Teaching and learning are also super awesome and I can't wait to see where they take me. This school thing.... it opens the doors to the future for me. And I am good at what I do.

Not on the template.... but on my mind and on Michelle's list....
Drinking.... what I'm not drinking is coke. Which is deserving of both the sad-face emoji and the happy (?) (is there a proud?) emoji. In 3 weeks I have had approximately 1/2 of a 20 oz coke. I have seriously gone through the drive thru and ordered coke for my kids and not gotten one! I do miss it. I will not write an Ode to Coca-cola though because it is not the same elixir of life as coffee. Don't be surprised if you see an Ode to Coffee post one of these mornings. But Coke is a very close second! Last year when people would ask about those little gifty things at school to help encourage other teachers, I also replied, "Coke. coke. coke." "Coke is my love language." So this is not easy. But today is weigh and measure day and if I make gains, er, I mean losses, it will be in part to cutting out Coca-Cola. I might be re-thinking the whole no-ode-to-Coca-Cola thing. I feel a tribute coming on.

Read about everyone's summer! And join the challenge! It doesn't have to be big! or Long. Just write! Big Time Literacy Blogging Challenge '17! #btbc17