Sitting Still

Super Violet!

It is the first weekend after the beginning of the school year.  I have been trying to just rest and get the house cleaned-up.  There really isn't much else I want to accomplish on this gray, humdrum weekend.  There is something nice about just sitting on this quiet Sunday morning.  The clouds cover the sky outside, and we are all snuggled under blankets on the couch watching cartoons and enjoying our chocolate milk and coffee.

Getting to sit still for a while is important.  I will be going for a run, and doing all kinds of work later as the day progresses.  However, having some time to just sit still and not feel compelled to rush through each moment is important to me.  The first few days of my new position have had me up and about the building constantly, which has been wonderful and tiring at the same time.  I am getting the chance to be the administrator I would want, and still meeting all of my obligations thus far.  

We are often caught-up in our lives to the point where we forget to just sit still and listen and take-in our surroundings.  I hope to go for a run later, and allow my body to get some exercise and just take some time to think and "zone out" while my muscles work for a while.  We all need to take time to zone out and let our bodies have a good work out and just find time to be still, if only for a short while.

Hitting the Heavy

I was walking through one of my new schools at which I am now assistant principal.  The hallways are quiet and darkened.  The janitorial staff is in the midst of cleaning, repairs, and moving all kinds of materials and furniture all over the building.  It still hasn't really dawned fully on me that many young minds and professional educators will fill these quiet spaces in a little over a month.  A small radio plays fuzzy hits from the 70's and 80's and I can hear the hum and buzz of a deep clean vacuum as I sit in my empty little office arranging my calendar for the upcoming weeks.

I am brought back momentarily to my summers working manual labor and building maintenance as a teenager in Juneau.  My manager, Tim, would give me a vague, large assignment and tell me to, "Hit the heavy."  For example, on my first day on the job, Tim told me to go out onto the breakwater and use a hacksaw to cut away as much rebar as I could.  "Start in that area, and work your way along hitting the heavy."  This basically meant get to the obvious, glaring stuff.  Do the hard work first, and later you may come back and get the minor things you mist on the first go-round.  That saying, "hit the heavy", has stuck with me through life.

The last month has taken me far away from this blog as I focus on many different elements in life.  My mother visited a few weeks ago, and spent a few sweet days playing and laughing and enjoying time with us.  It was the first time in over a year that I had seen her, and getting to watch her interact with her grandchildren was beyond special.  It was only an eye blink before she had to leave and return to her life.  Shortly after, however, my dad and sister arrived from Juneau and Washington, DC, respectively.  We took trips into the city, played, read, cooked, laughed, watched movies, and rested together.  It was important for all of us to have these chances to see each other and renew the sense of family, despite our distance apart.

Now we transition into the end of summer, where we look forward to school and finding our way back into our jobs and go about the daily business of being a small family unit again.  We are hitting the heavy as we find what works every hour of every day.  From waking up, to getting to school and work, to me just figuring out what I need to do for my new career in administration and for my family, as well.  There are a lot of little details that we will all have to work-out:  dentist appointments, birthdays, board meetings, and bedtime stories....but those are the little things.  For now, we are all content to just hit the heavy and sweat the small stuff later on.

Summer pictures

Thinking Gold!  Audrey and Violet receive another package from Uncle Michael!

Daddy and Violet.  Just Chilling.

Audrey and a Wallaby at Brookfield Zoo.

Attle, Violet, and Audrey going ape at Brookfield Zoo.

Violet and the croc.

Sunset wagon ride at the park.  Attle and Audrey pulling Violet.  This picture makes my heart happy.

Ice cream treat.  Violet, Attle, and Audrey enjoy some ice cream in downtown Plainfield.

Audrey seconds after loosing her second tooth!

Father and son together again!

Zayde reads the girls (and Phoebe) the latest Dr. Seuss book.

Aunt Eden and Violet at Brookfield Zoo in the Australia House.

Uncle Stuart met us at the Zoo.  Violet loves her presents from Uncle Stuart!

The Golden Girls:  Aunt Eden, Audrey, and Violet pose with goldpans from Uncle Michael!

Somewhere over the rainbow:  Audrey, Zayde, and Violet watch The Wizzard of Oz.

Aunt Eden and Violet at Indian Boundary Park.

Violet, Audrey, and Aunt Eden at Indian Boundary Park.

Audrey and Violet.