Hello blog site!

I'm back from my hermitage and will make more of a concerted effort to write more posts!  


Here is what has been going on in my life since the last post in ... October?  Inserted sound of shocked voice here.


In October, I did some teaching.


In November, my friend Niki and I organized a Line Dancing event for the Young Adults which was much fun.


And then I taught some more.


December was filled with many fun memories.  With the YA, I visited an old-age home to sing some songs, skate, see ginormous amounts of food brought and eaten, and did some carolling.


School ended for the year on a Thursday at noon, and by 4:30 that afternoon, I was on my flight to Rock Valley, Iowa to spend time with my sister and brother-in-law and their four children.  I love this family so much! My heart was broken so many times during my visit - seeing how the chemo affected her physically and emotionally, and also seeing special things that each member in the family did to raise her spirits.  They would give a gentle hug, colour a picture, make a get well card, bring a toy, read a story, laugh with her, wear clown outfits, sing a song learned at school, share something from their supper that appealed to Sarah's appetite, play a game - anything just to see her smile, and cause her to come home sooner.  Most of the time the smile was returned quickly and with much enthusiasm, but other times - when she had the pneumonia, UTI, C-Diff, and infection in her pic line, it was harder for her to muster the energy to respond overtly positively.  She really is so precious as is their entire family.  Ahem ... now, before I tear up any more ... deep breath ... ok, I think I'm good.  While I was there, most of my family was there for Christmas and then left a few days later.  I got to make lots of crafts with the kids, do the paper route, visit the library, get groceries, drive to the Castle, skate on the rink in the backyard, read lots of stories - so fun!


When I got home, reality set in that I only had 2 weeks left of class so I had to fast-track a few things in my classes, but managed to get the bulk of it done.


After about a week and a half of near isolation and loooong nights in my classroom, I'm happy to report that the marking got done, the reports completed, and most of the things prepared for next term.  


So, next time, hopefully four months will not pass before I write you again.