So Many Thanks

As summer finally begins for me, I have much to thank about, so I've decided to include it all in a list poem (my students' favourite poetry):

Thanks to...

1. my students for all the wonderful year-end gifts and cards; you were really the best, not me.
2. my colleagues who've contributed to another great year in my teaching career.
3. my amateur budgeting skills, I'd only feel more financially secured by teaching summer school.
4. swine flu, I'll be paranoid all summer about dry coughs and diarrhea.
5. Camp Timberline, I now have an uneven tan and would have to make a trip to the beach to even it out for the wedding.
6. the wedding, I would be anxious and busy all summer.
7. the wedding again, I would be spending all my summer school income and the year's savings.
8. my friend M., I am envious of his vacation while busy with items 3-7 above.
9. my 1 and 1/2 yr old niece E., I realized that every simple thing, including items 3-8 above is a blessing for me...to have summer employment, to NOT have H1N1, to have nice weather, to be able to get married & afford it, and to have great friends...

...so thanks.

Vampires & Werewolves

Where have I gone the past week or so? Forks. Twilight.

If you've ever read those Twilight books peeking out of your daughter's bookshelf you would know what I'm talking about. So I was finally submerged over into the dark side. I tried extra hard to NOT be convinced to read those teenage love series since November but unfortunately, those 4 big black books were just a little too difficult to resist. In fact, I've not had enough sleep through the week as I plowed through 4 books and dove into thousands and thousands of pages of fantasy. The result?

Me: "P., you must be a vampire!"

P: "Huh?"

Me: "Explain why your hands are always cold and you always have difficulty sleeping then! Don't think I didn't notice those *blood stains on your lips in the morning!" (*It's really only because sometimes he drinks red wine in the middle of the night...or is it?!?)

Yes, P. thinks I've almost gone crazy but I'm finally returning to reality...well...almost...I still have those Stephanie Meyer websites to plow through.

Camp Timberline

Every June, I go to camp with the Grade 7s I teach at school and last Mon-Wed was no different. The only thing different this year was that we finally had awesome weather and the heat was actually quite intense. My great attempts at trying to stay out of the sun and preventing myself from getting even darker didn't really work.

The flowery and wide entrance this year is welcoming compared to the flooded entrance and road we had the previous 2 years. I consider the ranch big in size for our Gr.7s to use as a 3 day camp site. The big house in the background has some cabins and a big cafeteria and kitchen downstairs together with camp offices. The sand space to play volleyball outside the dining hall is also quite nice. Even me, the not so sporty one, ended up playing there quite a few times with the students.
This year, like previous years, I stayed in the Buffalo Pound. It's spacious for one person since it's really meant to sleep up to 9 people. However, being the city girl, I would much prefer my own bed...maybe next year would be better when we get to try the new bunkhouse they're building with individual washrooms for each cabin.

Of course there are a whole bunch of outdoor activities for our students on the ranch. Another staff member and myself were in charge of the archery station, so of course I had to take the opportunity to prove I can do archery and pose at the same time.

This was also the 1st year we got to go horseback riding with the students! It was very fun to ride on Rosy (my horse) but a bit scary when we had to trot though it was only my first time riding ever. And let's not mention the pain that one endures afterwards because of the trotting...horse riders will know what I'm talking about. I was not warned! Just my luck...I also happened to be assigned to the hungriest horse, so she took every opportunity to eat grass and hay along the entire ride and I had to exercise my practice on pulling the reins. Rosy was also very big for the petite me and I was barely able to touch the stirrups as we rode.



And who can miss out the bonfire at night when we go to camp? The great part about bringing elementary students is that they're just so excited to be away from their parents (many for the 1st time in their lives) that they're always happy and appreciative of all the activities. Needless to say, the marshmallow roasting and camp singing were very enjoyable. Why do you think we're willing to go back every year and supervise day and night? Sorry for the darkness in the video though...I swear it wasn't as dark when I was filming...but it's probably better that I didn't show any student faces anyway.

Love & Choices

A special friend of mine inspired me to write this poem about love and choices:

A million stars shooting by,
which one will you take?
which one is at stake?
whom might you make cry?

The sky's a market,
what to buy?
what to try?
You're the shopping rocket.

The quota is one.
You're greedy; you want more
but you might make a star fall.
Do you take all who come?

It's a game.
You seek to gain.
Losing what you already have will be a shame.

~a.c.