It has been a month since I have blogged. *sad face* However, I do have some excuses and explanations for what I have been up to. I feel like someone came along and cranked the busy meter of my life onto superwoman/impossible mode! Homecoming week happened a few weeks ago. As a teacher, this isn’t anything too monumental except you accomplish nearly nothing due to the excitement and distractions. As the cheerleading coach, it is the week from that one scary, fiery place down below. We (the cheerleaders) make things look fun and effortless, but there is so much planning and orchestrating that happens behind the scenes of that week. (Not to mention the weeks in advance.) On top of conducting the crazy cheerleading train, I also acquired some additional duties. I’m not sure how I got roped into helping the student council officers plan and put together every single event during the week, other than they asked me for help, so, of course…. why not?? Long story short, the week went well and everyone lived and learned!
Because I have an AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL assistant coach, this next adventure was possible… I ended that Homecoming Week with a quick (HA HA) trip to Salt Lake City with my family to see my 2nd younger sister play her tuba in the University of Utah Marching Band! WOW! A weekend for the books! It was so awesome to see Carli there in the city and thriving and living so many amazing opportunities that only a few are privileged to! Not to mention, who doesn’t love spending 24 hours in a vehicle with the people they love the most!! 🙂
Things sure didn’t seem to slow down after that week. The next week was full of exciting things like PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES and MY BIRTHDAY! Which, of course, are the same day because again… why not? I actually don’t mind conferences other than the late nights. I enjoy talking with the students and parents on a closer level and coming up with ways to help.
My birthday… usually a coveted day in which I remind everyone for weeks in advance and then celebrate excessively on the actual day because I just LOVE my birthday! This year was different. With the 1st quarter wrapping up, parent teacher conferences, and wrapping up football season, I just didn’t get around to relishing the day as usual. Even though it wasn’t the same, this was the best birthday of my life!! On my birthday, I came to school with a desk full of gifts and flowers that I didn’t ask for. They were the sweetest, most sincere, and FUNNIEST gifts I have ever received. My students sang to me every hour and even devised a plan to get me to the lunch room and got everyone to sing to me AGAIN! I love them. I should also mention the gorgeous bouquet of flowers that were sent to me by my husband. He has never missed a birthday or special event and they are ALWAYS the most gorgeous flowers!
Honestly, this was so much more than I could have even asked for. I felt so loved and beautiful. What more could I possibly need? Well, apparently, there were a few people who weren’t satisfied with all of that.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20th, nearly a week after my birthday, I was reminded once again that I teach and coach THE MOST ELITE group of kids. Before school was out, my assistant coach asked me if I would like to go to the store with her right after school and get something to drink before practice. Sure! When we came back from the store, I walked into practice expecting to have to wrangle the team and get things organized for a good day of practice. I was not prepared to walk in and find them in formation and ready to perform something. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON!!! Click on the link below to watch their surprise performance. I didn’t catch the beginning, but be sure to watch to the end to see the best part. I was crying before it was even close to being over.
So, after this little surprise performance, I decided I should go to my classroom and get the med kit and whatever else I needed and to wipe the tears off my face. I started down the hallway only to be practically ran over by all of the kids trying to beat me to my classroom. Okayyyy….. weirdos….. Click on link below to watch my birthday surprise!
Once I got over the shock of seeing my room completely flipped and looking like a legit party zone, the team made me sit in the special “Birthday Girl” chair. Why? So that I can watch a PowerPoint that will make me cry some more, of course!! If you have a few minutes to watch the PowerPoint, please do. One of the girls put it together for me and that makes it one of my most treasured files!
Typing all of this out has made me a big sack of tears again. I can’t get over it and I can’t seem to find the right words to describe how I felt or even how I am feeling right now. I found out that they had been having morning practices (ouch) for almost a week and spent so much time planning and putting the whole event together for me. They didn’t have to! I have heard teachers talk about that moment that they have every now and then that reminds them of why they do this job. This IS my moment. I LOVE these kids. I have loved them since I met them and I can’t imagine that I could love even my own child a whole lot more than these kids. I spend my ENTIRE day with them and I wouldn’t change it.
The title of this post is gifts because this is exactly what I have been given. Obviously, I was given the greatest, most thoughtful, MOST IRREPLACEABLE gift ever in the history of all gifts given. But, I was also given the gift of a moment in which so many things became so clear to me. I am the most blessed teacher and coach on Earth. There is literally nothing else in this world that I need. I have students who love me, colleagues that make it possible, a husband who treasures me as much as I treasure him, and above all, a glorious and perfect God who knows just when to answer prayers. What else is there?
Story Time 