• much needed pedicure
• dining out at Rosario's to celebrate the birthday of my beautiful Mom
• Mom's reaction to our gift
• all the sentimental men in my family
• helping to advertise for Eagles Day Camp
• a class full of students who were exhausted from the long holiday weekend - haven't seen them subdued in a while! (ever?) It made for a good morning!

• 25% off everything coupon for Michaels
• confirming summer work and vacation plans
• breaking out the bathing suit
• enjoying the day on the dock with loved ones
• looking forward to a weekend getaway to Atlantic City with my cousins!

Welcome to the world Melody Elizabeth! We love you already.

• prayers and support from our church family
• telling others about answered prayers
• news of a healthy new niece, Melody Elizabeth
• making plans to see Melody (and her mom & dad) next weekend
• getting my schoolwork done in the shade outside
• enjoying the little time I have left with my husband before his big trip

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

• a good deal on a nice couch
• lots of help to successfully get the nice couch out of a small space!
• walk with mom and the pup
• opening day at Green Pond!
• vodka tonics on the dock (Grandpa's specialty!)
• having nothing to do but chat with family and soak up the sunshine
• laughing around the dinner table
• shopping for girly items with my brothers

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011

• successful Grand Friends day
• quick and generous response from parents who were willing to donate cold water bottles on a hot day
• my school nurse coming to check up on me
• hearing grandparents say, "my grandchild speaks so highly of you"
• teaching students to fold an American flag correctly
• finding time to see a good friend before our busy weekends
• date night with my hubby
• the movie "Bridesmaids" - went in with low expectations but ended up laughing a lot!

• out of the ordinary activities at school, including watching a well-done production at the high school
• enjoyable dinner and conversation with friends
• sending and receiving Eagle Town mail
• being married to an amazing chef
• eye drops doing their job
• currently living in a home with central air!

• eating the leftovers of yesterday's dessert right out of the pan
• parent volunteers
• a fantastic aide who is not afraid to (1) speak the truth to me - "what is wrong with your eye?!" or  (2) take over my class so I can see a doctor
• in & out doctor visit
• sunshine! (and slight hint of a tan after being outside a few times lately!)
• my favorite blog - maybe some day I will be able to take pictures like the ones posted here!
• intentionally deciding not to work tonight so that I can simply rest and enjoy time with my caring husband

• whipping up a dessert for small group
• sitting outside in the sunshine and catching up with a great friend
• feeling better than yesterday
• strawberries in season
• a colleague who was willing to cancel her plans to pick up necessary school supplies and save me a trip
• booking flights for a summer reunion with college friends!

• lots of help from friends to put together a good lookin' bulletin board
• coming home to take a nap after school
• waking up to dinner on the table
• a new season of The Bachelorette
• beginning to think about my 3rd round of students - it's hard to believe year 2 is coming to an end!

• getting some much needed sleep
• moving into a larger house for the next couple weeks
• well-behaved labrador retrievers
• help with chores
• homemade chocolate chip cookies
• parents coming home

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011

• the world not coming to an end
• sunshine after a week of rain
• spending the day at the lake with great friends
• finally winning in Settlers of Catan
• breaking out the corn hole boards
• out for a nice dinner
• generous and helpful grandparents
• offering congratulations to my brother and his fiancee as they graduated from college today

• final Bible meeting of the year - feels good to know our project is complete!
• break from the normal Friday routine
• coming home to hang out with awesome friends
• "Friday" food - pizza, nachos, ice cream
• king size bed for the next couple weeks

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011

• mail from past, present, and even future students!
• generous donations for our mail program
• a night out in the city with no rain
• double date with a couple we look up to
• phileo yogurt with delicious toppings
• beautiful views of New York City

• clean house and car, thanks to my amazing husband who knows how to speak my love language!
• a buzzer that has saved us a lot of money on hair cuts
• making plans with great friends (can't wait to see them tomorrow!)
• centers running smoothly
• finishing my schoolwork for the week

What a rare privilege it was to know and love my great-grandparents, Nana & Pop, for so many years of my life. They lived truly blessed lives and leave lasting examples for the large family they left behind. Though it is always hard to say good-bye, we take comfort in knowing that Nana & Pop are together again and spending eternity with our Savior. We will see each other again! For now, we look back on fond memories:

spending holidays together

feeding & catching the sunnies that lived under the dock,
watching Nana & Pop play Skip-Bo each night 

swimming & sun-bathing in Nana's floating chair

intense Scrabble games,
never leaving the lake without candy from Nana's jar

listening to stories from the war,
laughing so hard at Pop's famous songs and comments

showing off the rock at Green Pond where Pop
painted the names of his current great-grandchildren
(can't wait to see it again this summer)

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2011

• a helpful friend to dismiss my class so I could leave school early
• listening to my students thank God that my Pop is in heaven and ask for comfort for my family
• seeing family from near and far
• sharing hysterical Pop stories over dinner
• out for a drink with my cousins (Pop would have been there if he could)

• Wilhelmina peppermints in church
• stopping in to give my sympathy to Grandma & Grandpa
• my husband and brother are home!
• Dad's homemade sauce
• whole family together for dinner

• spring cleaning (also known as procrastinating)
• delicious dinner at Jersey Boys with 3 good friends
• new & creative idea for teaching 3 digit subtraction across zeros (special thanks to an amazing high school math teacher)
• watching a Hallmark movie with mom
• frozen yogurt

a good friend's crafty idea: handmade flowers
(too bad I can't take credit for these, though my Cricut was a big help!)

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

• seeing a friend (and all her new items!) that I had not seen for a while
• skinny girl margaritas
• God's perfect timing - providing a trusted friend when I needed her most
• therapeutic trip to Michaels
• imagining a wedding in heaven
• the blessing of knowing (and loving) my great-grandparents, better known as Nana & Pop - our Green Pond memories will stay with me until we meet again

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

• hospitable colleagues that are willing to give me rides to and from work
• making a big dent in my massive pile of laundry after taking a week off
• sunny day and safe travels for the hubby on his long drive to MI
• long overdue Skype date
• Chopped on the Food Network
• comfort of my childhood bed

• excitement over friendly letters
• freshly cut grass
• Market Basket's "Turker" sandwich & mom's pasta salad - enough for lunch and dinner
• to-do lists, and crossing items off!
• positive changes as we look ahead to another school year
• family gathering at the baseball field

• finding out that my class was well-behaved for the sub yesterday (and hearing that they missed me)
• prepping for the Post Office opening tomorrow
• lifting mom's spirits with a belated Mother's Day gift
• meeting the family for an ice cream run
• the hubby's last exam for the semester - summer is approaching!

• long weekend get away with life-long friends
• beautiful gardens in the heart of Boston

•  a new umbrella
• an opportunity to "play" with my camera
• two gorgeous (& willing) models

•  sunshine after the rain
• cute new shoes (on the biz!)

•  late nights & lots of pillow talk
• craft-filled apartment
• delicious (and gigantic) "kiddie" sized ice cream cones

• lots ... and lots of laughs
• spending our well-earned a.j.e.less designs money on good times together
• warm Italian meal in the North End, followed by the largest cannolis I have ever seen

•  spending time with old & new friends

• a Monday morning stroll through the cute town of Concord
• vanilla chai lattes from Main Street Cafe

• a gracious, and always apologetic, host
• reminiscing on "old times"
• taking a personal day to extend the trip

• coming home to my husband
• looking forward to having A, J, and E together again soon

• heading up to Boston to spend the weekend with some wonderful people! (blog posts & pictures from the weekend to come on Monday!)

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011

• wrapping Mother's Day gifts made by 8 year olds
• National Day of Prayer (encouraging all of my students to participate by praying aloud - huge stretch for some, but they did it!)
• special guests in 2nd grade
• my husband's last late class for the semester!
• packing cute outfits for an upcoming girls' weekend
• family dinner

• an eventful day in Eagle Town!
• lots and lots of student smiles
• catered lunch provided by the PTO
• parents who spent the day at school to assist with today's activities
• thank-you notes
• planning ahead so I can truly enjoy this upcoming weekend
• mindless TV

• things coming together at the last minute
• students excited to learn and teach others about Asian culture
• local Chinese restaurant willing to donate 20 pair of chopsticks
• collages
• burger on a hard roll at mom and dad's
• Teacher Appreciation notes from students and their parents

• fun projects at school
• stories that make me laugh
• creative and flexible grade level partner
• feeling appreciated
• a husband that manages to balance home and school even in the busiest times of his semester

• making waffles for breakfast
• an eventful week to come at school (less planning on my part!)
• catching up with mom
• walking to pick up bagels after church, quite possibly a new tradition
• planning for a reunion with college friends