mother!

pretty awesome weekend. great weather outside and some yardwork, planted a shrub outside fothergilla 'blue shadow'. I regret not getting to the gym as much as I should have last week, but this time of year is always busy doing a bunch of different things at school and then after work etc.. hey only two more weeks and two days and out for summer, well a two month summer.
THis week, during the long 3 hour periods due to EOI (end of instruction) testing in the morning, I'll be showing the film "mad hot ballroom". which is a documentary about gradeschool children in NYC competing in ballroom dancing. It's a pretty good film, and once again exposes the kids to a different sort of culture. this time immigrant Dominican republic kids living in NYC. They'll have to listen to it in ENglish but sometimes the kids or teacher go off in Spanish.
I haven't heard from the other school I applied at yet, but I have heard it's very hard to get into that district. also I know a lot of schools are super busy right now getting ready for graduation and end of year stuff. This next week I'll be doing my best to get the last two weeks of school planned out what I really want to do/cover and then I can start packing up all the books I won't be touching the rest of the school year. I won't take all the stuff off my walls and stuff until weekend before the last 2 days left. THis time of year I start feeling sentimental for the students, it's always hard sending them off and knowing you'll never have the same group of kids in a classroom together again. It will be cool knowing more students in the hall though next year who had me before. (if I go back that is)
I have to seriously consider getting back into grad school to pursue a phd to truly fulfill my dream of teaching college full-time someday. I'll probably investigate more on that this summer, for example OU or UCO and what direction to go, also finances of course.
now go call your Mom or someone in your life who is a mom, it's Mother's Day in the U.S. I have just finished wrapping a small gift for my mom. I'll give it to her at church this morning. my family doesn't plan any big hurrah on this day, it's more about leaving mom alone and letting her enjoy time at home and dad will probably take her out to lunch. While in Tulsa a few months ago, I bought my mom a nice dishtowel with birds on it from the Anthropologie store there - she likes anything with birds. also I got her a little covered butter dish 'cause she always leave a chunk of butter on a dish at home on the counter top. She likes it on her bread etc...
I'm already decided on dad's gift, it's a tool I saw in a Men's Journal magazine.
speaking of magazines, I got this month's Outdoor magazine in the mail and it included the extra Outdoor Buying Guide with it. man that stuff gets me every time, I love shopping through pictures and prices and reviews of about any male product. running shoes, hiking shoes, travel bags, backpacks, mountain bikes, etc etc.. oh a man can dream. I have GOT to find some friends to get outdoors and do stuff this summer!!! I was outdoors all the time as a kid, and at the lake every summer etc. My Austin buddy has already warned me to bring a bike next time in Austin, that's his new thing, biking everywhere. If I lived in a city where you could bike around all the time I'd love it. I keep dreaming of biking back and forth to the waterpark in the summer to save gas, but it's about 4.5 miles away from where I live. I bet I could still do it though for morning shifts. surely! ha . I'll have to start shopping the Globe bikes I've been wanting for a while. I think they start at around $580 or more... which is more my budget, not like the $1000-3500 bikes in the Outdoor buyer's guide. no way. although I really probably need something more like a ten-speed than just a one speed bike. I'll have to keep looking around.
I'll have to blog sometime about the carryon bags they show. there were a few within $100 that I felt I instantly needed. ha. but alas, I'm traveling a lot less these days. and no I don't have a backpack, bag fetish. like my watches and shoes and sunglasses and scarves and jackets etc, I find myself just enjoying having the right accessory when getting put together to go anywhere. ha . hope all are enjoying the weekend.