Kontan Jou

Today is the end of winter break. We will begin the new school year Monday. *sigh* I’m not ready. Yes, the weekend is ahead and there are two more days until the beginning. These days will be spent planning for the semester ahead. I’m not teaching at the local university this semester. As much as I enjoyed it and will miss it, it is nice to not have the extra stress. Besides, I can find so many other things to stress over.

So what have we done on break? We cleaned the house…pretty much. Laundry. Christmas prep, Christmas cleanup. Mostly, relaxation was the goal. Djembe let me catch up on much needed sleep. In fact, it is going to be difficult to get back into the work groove. Let’s face it, I’ve never been a rise and shine kind of girl.

I do have a new outlook for ’08. I can’t let the students get to me. I have to face the fact that most of them do not care as much as I do. I need to go in, do the best that I can possibly do, help who I can, and come home- leaving the frustration at the school. But enough about that…

Here’s what we’ve done when we weren’t relaxing at home:

Take a walk to the park and let the girls ride their bikes. They like to go to the pavilion and look for turtles and fish, or just stare at the water.

Encouraging Alli to play is always fun. Well…for us.




Playing with Tiki is fun too, but she either curls up or stares at you funny when you stop playing and get the camera.




The girls discovered Jiffy Pop. Stove pop popcorn is a cool novelty for them.




So much to enjoy. It was a grand relaxation. I am enjoying the final Friday evening of break blog hopping and meeting my Blog365 obligations. The fire is toasty, the hot chocolate is grand. (I love the whipped cream on top!) Later a Merlot and my book.

Happy Blogging!

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Gavin DeGraw – Meaning
via FoxyTunes

Sitting down to actually complete work that should have been done well before the start of ’08 I booted the notebook and pulled up my iTunes. I must find something to entertain me while I average and enter grades. This is where I must say that playlists are great, but they enable us to get in a rut. We fail to realize that there is so much great music to be enjoyed! I pledged to update my playlists, skipped my usual (relaxing jazz, funky jazz, Terra Firma, Spyro Gyra, Pat Metheny, mellow mixes) and chose party shuffle. My tastes are laughably diverse, I will listen to anything. While I worked I enjoyed the following:

Tangled- Maroon 5
Wait A Little While- Kenny Loggins
Country Road- James Taylor
Here By Me- 3 Doors Down
Separate Ways- Journey
A Friend Like You- Big Daddy Weave
Low Rider- Terra Firma (Group out of Tupelo that I LOVE!)
God of Life- Mark Schultz
Somethings Missing- John Mayer
Trouble Sleeping- Corrine Bailey Rae
Love’s Never Been Like This-NewSong

Several of these fall on the mellow side of the party. I love music. My iPod has many songs by the artists above, but a few other favorites are Shawn McDonald, Paul Stupka (personal friend, taught with him several years ago), Phil Collins Big Band, Steely Dan, Bryan Duncan, John Tesh, Canadian Brass, Chicago, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (Did you see them on The Next Great American Band!!!!), Jack Johnson, Santana, and so on and so on…

My next downloads will replace my long lost Aerosmith collection.

So what’s on your player? Are you stuck in a rut? Zune vs. iPod vs. Other? Had a Zune. Cool possibilities, but I swapped and love my iPod.

Did I mention that Kenny Loggins is so cool???

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Kenny Loggins – I’m Free (Heaven Helps The Man)
via FoxyTunes

The Last Christmas Ride is based on the true story of Edie Hand. While browsing the aisles of SAMS I noticed the rustic cover and picked it up to see if it might be as interesting as it looked. Yes, I’m shallow. I sometimes judge a book by its cover. The “based on a true story” caught my eye. After reading the synopsis I was even more intrigued. The true story took place in northwest Alabama. There is something special about reading books based in your home area. It quickly became a must purchase item.

Now if you have been around here for the last month you know it has been difficult. If you haven’t, check out my first post of 2008. Given the title I knew that there would be tears when I read this book and honestly I had been feeling a little dehydrated. I put the book aside and focused on getting Christmas done. Feeling emotionally stable I picked it back up just after Christmas. It was truly a sweet read.

Cumberland House Publishing has a great summary:
The story begins with the four Blackburn children in an idyllic setting on a northern Alabama farm. Their days are filled with horse riding, wild adventures, elaborate fantasies, and climbing to the top of a nearby Indian mound to dream about their futures. They can hardly anticipate what will happen to them. more…

The Last Christmas Ride is a realistic story of life’s journey. Life isn’t perfect, there will be ups and downs, and we will not always get what we want. I have often used the phrase, what does not kill us makes us stronger. I would like to think this is true. Edie’s story is one of idealism turned realism. Such big dreams were formed as the children played all day, coming home as the light of day fades. They rode together, played together, and dreamed together. As they grow older they begin to realize how life sometimes gets in the way of big dreams. This is especially true for Edie as she has to take charge after the death of one, then another brother. She attempts to achieve her own dreams, then the focus is on the dreams of her son. Time after time Edie receives life’s lesson of self-sacrifice. The final lesson comes when she goes home to care for her last brother, who is dying from a brain tumor. It is during this time of care that Edie helps Terry take his last Christmas ride.

When Terry dies a few days later, Edie realizes that her grandmother was right. Our ride through life has its rough places, but we can do much good along the way if we stay strong enough through faith and rely on our family. She vows never to take life for granted or to be too busy to enjoy the ride in her journey through life.

How many times do we go so fast in our day to day that we fail to enjoy the ride? We have a list of all the important things to accomplish and enjoy, but we get so busy trying to reach each accomplishment that we fail to relish the satisfaction of accomplishment.

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Relaxing to the sounds of: Colbie Caillat – Oxygen
via FoxyTunes

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
Benjamin Franklin

It’s that time of year when resolutions are made and many have high hopes for the year ahead. Nothing wrong with that. I am going to say look to the year behind. What were the ups? What were the downs? What did you do right? What did you do wrong? Then evaluate the changes you wish for your life.

We made several life changing decisions last year. We sold a house, moved to another state…we started on a new trail and took the road less traveled.

Looking back-

January:
I missed New Years with Djembe. I was flying home from DC and spent several hours in Charlotte and a few more in Atlanta. Not fun. The house was painted and ready to go on the market. I started developing a site to use for advertising. I also started my full force campaign to obtain a position in the new city. It was also a goal to venture into the world of the college classroom. Submitting my resignation was a lot more difficult than I expected it to be.

February:
I lost a close friend from high school. We were friends, we were competitors, we had a lot of fun getting on each other’s nerves. He lost his battle with cancer in early February 2007. Not much action with the house selling, but we were starting on the path to big changes.

March:
We started visiting the new city, checking out our options and introducing the girls to what would soon be their home.

April:
We had a house guest for a few days. Snoopy, an adorable and sweet natured beagle, stopped in for a few weeks. Well, she didn’t like Tiki, but that was just friendly competition. I would have loved for her to stay, but she was claimed by an old man who named her Betty. (I think it was Betty.)

School was hectic and shocking. A teacher I worked with lost her husband to suspicious circumstances, and later committed suicide. She had murdered him. Yikes. You never think something like that is going to happen.

We were in full house selling mode. We looked into realtors and went with the one who helped us find our first house.

May:
Counting the days until the end of school I went on a couple of interviews. Djembe submitted his resignation, effective at the end of the month. Showing the house occasionally, and stressing that we couldn’t control everything.

June:
Off to the beach! So much to do when we return. Several interviews, packing, and finding a place to live. We had several nibbles on the house and then two bites in one day! Djembe started working in the new city and we were living apart. It was horrible. I don’t mind my space, and I don’t mind the silence of the evening after the girls go to bed. But I don’t like to sleep alone. In fact, I hate sleeping without Djembe, the human pillow and bed warmer, beside me. When Daddy wasn’t home, the girls slept with me. They loved it, I missed Jem. We searched and searched for a place in the new city. God intervened and we found a great house, low rent, enough room, and we got to keep the dogs!

July:
Time to move. Fourth of July week was not the best time for my dogs. LOL. Stormy that week AND fireworks. The big baby, Tchaik, was a basketcase and his mommy was none to happy about it either. We closed on the house and gave up our acre with the great view and house with the wonderful garden tub. I don’t miss it. Most importantly, we weren’t going to starve! I was offered a position with the local high school.

August:
Girls start a new school. I start a new school. Djembe gets ready to start school again.

Hottest weather in a long while, 100+ for days at a time, and we lose the AC. LONG battle to get it fixed and reimbursed for the days that a hotel was required. The house was not tolerable at 90 degrees, dropping to a cool 85 at night. Moving was terribly stressful, but it was over.

September:
Settling in. I started teaching my first college class, it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Time consuming. To make things easier I took the girls on a hiking trip or two. Nothing major, but it was fun. We took a family trip to tailgate for the first Auburn game. Lots-o-fun.

October:
Wow it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, but it seems like forever. Weather still nice we persuaded Jem to join us on our hiking excursion. As much as he “loves” the outdoors I’m sure it was a thrill. He was a good sport at least. Renaissance Faire was the highlight of the month. Seeing adults dressed in their best medieval garments was amusing for our girls. The area where we are tries to be rather artsy. They fail miserably in some areas, but they do have great festivals for art, music, and history.

November:
I didn’t think November was going to end. The month started out great with our semi-annual trip to Auburn for the homecoming game. Djembe meets up with his AU buddies and they have a grand time reminiscing. The rest of us are along for the ride. On campus for game day is truly enjoyable.

Instead of visiting family for Thanksgiving we stayed home. Djembe cooked a turkey and made wonderful pies. As much as I enjoy his cooking I believe we will journey to the fam next year. If not for Thanksgiving then for Christmas. I want the girls to experience the family holiday.

Jem also had a birthday new Thanksgiving. In fact it was the same day as the AU/AL game. Unfortunately, it was clouded by the death of my dad. I still haven’t blogged about the man I knew. I guess I’m still sorting things out and it’s just easier not to face it.

December:
Didn’t start out any better than November ended. My stepdad died early in the month. The back to back deaths were a struggle. Trying to find good in the devastation of death is difficult. I have spoken with my mother more, and that is a positive. She is still struggling.

I tried to make Christmas special for the girls. We did stay home, refer to November to see how I feel about that. Staying home at Christmas is great because you don’t have to rush through the morning routine and then rush to family, but there is something lost by not spending it with family.

We have enjoyed winter break and will continue to do so for the next week. For me, school starts Monday. This is the first time in years that I haven’t had to go back immediately after New Years. Love it.

It is now 2008. I make no resolutions, but I will strive for several things. 1) Better health, more activity. 2) A job with a classroom. 3) Time with the girls. Yes, I plan to participate in the Blog365. Yes, it will take time and dedication to blog each day. It can be done, and done without sacrificing much. I’m on the ‘net everyday anyway. Many times I hop from one site to another reading the news and latest headlines. I figure after one lap I can blog, then move on. I don’t have to make several laps. Tomorrow is another day, and I can read the news then. Just think, years ago they had to wait weeks or months for news. Now, we’re irritated if we miss the breaking story crawl! I want to embrace what is important in life, and not worry as much about the rest.

Happy New Year. I hope it is everything you wish it to be.
Blessings, good wishes, and happy thoughts to you and yours.