in the bleak midwinter...

aside from that being one of my favorite songs heard this time of year, that particular song reminds me of Dr. Ed Wilson reading Christmas carols and poetry in Thursday chapel the week before exams at Wake Forest.  I wonder if he still does this?  It just didn't seem like Christmas until I had gone to the Love Feast and heard my most favorite professor read this carol in chapel... the traditions we create!

It has been a while since my last post... I'm not sure where time goes these days.  Nothing tremendous or even slightly exciting has happened lately, so you are not missing much- school and family and a slight semblance of a social life.  I am glad that I have had this week off from school.  I have enjoyed hanging out with Ferf since she and Michael are up for Christmas this year.  

The highlight of the season so far was taking little M to see the Roper Mtn. Lights on Monday night.  We loaded up the front wheel drive sleigh to introduce little M to a Greenville tradition.  Little M is from Haiti and has been living with Mary since May.  He is here to get a corrective surgery on his feet and has been such a joy to get to know.  I'm not sure about all of the privacy laws about him, so for now we will keep it simple and call him M.  He was so excited about riding in a "big" car with all of his friends and all of the lights were almost too much to take in.  His exclamations and obvious delight were good for the soul... to be a child at Christmas!  When he saw the huge star at the top of the mountain, he declared, "Wow, it's a big star!  That is a BIG one!"  The shepards and wise men probably said the same thing upon seeing the first Christmas star, "Wow, it's a big star!  That is a BIG one!"  After all of the lights, we went back to Mary's for dinner and a few presents for little M.  No one was surprised that he enjoyed the wrapping better than any of the presents, but delighting in the little things is what Christmas is about anyway!  Lizzie was the appointed photographer for the evening so when she is able to send me a few pictures, I will post them!

Until then, I hope everyone enjoys a night where all is calm and bright.  I will leave you with the the last verse of In the Bleak Midwinter.  Merry Christmas!

What can I give him,

Poor as I am 

If I were a shepard

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what I can I give him-

Give my heart.

so much, so much, so much to be thankful for

This fall has been slightly crazy and jam packed full of short trips and excitement. But I figured that today, on the birthdate of the newest addition to my ever expanding circle of firends, I would take a minute to be thankful!

Today, I am thankful for:

1. My pretty terrific family: The first weekend of November was a big one in our family as my sweet Daddy turned 60. Mom and I planned a weekend full of surprises for him which began with the Ferf and Michael flying home for the weekend and ended Saturday night with a surprise party with his friends! Mom did a great job keeping everything a secret and he was truly surprised the whole weekend. I am so thankful to have such wonderful parents who are such models of what a Christian marriage and love in action look like.

2. My sweet friends (and their husbands and babies!): I cannot be thankful enough for my friends. Since August, three of my best friends have given birth to the most precious babies and I will be an Aunt for the fourth time by the end of February! It is so special to watch my amazing friends mother their children and I am honored to be just a small part of these beloved babies' lives. How quickly time passes as we transition from wedding showers and china patterns to baby showers and nurseries! I can hardly wait to watch Mary Moulton, Will, Addie, and Baby C grow up together and form the types of friendships that their mothers have!

3. My crazy students: I love my job. In fact, many days, it doesn't feel like a job. Yes, I have to plan, and grade, and fuss when the little bits don't do what they need to do to hold up their end of the education bargin, but I don't mind those things (except for the fussing- I'm not good at the fussing!) I think my kids are really cool, interesting, individuals and I am fascinated by the way they learn and the cool ways they choose to show me what they learned. I am so thankful for their hearts and the way they care for each other, our school, and me. I am thankful for the respect they show for their education and to new ideas or people. And I am thankful that my crazy students make each day different and challenging and fun!

4. Winston: He is the master of his tiny domain and he knows that I know it. Winston is getting a little age on him- he will be 7 in March and we will celebrate our 7 year anniversary in May. While he is not as energetic as he once was, Winston is a go getter and always greets me at his gate, ready for a walk and a cuddle! I am thankful at the moment for his warm little body curled up in my lap keeping me toasty and just in general for being such a sweet little companion. I could learn a lot about unconditional adoration from him.

There are lots of other people and things that I'm thankful for but I'm not going to list them all here. Just know that I am thankful for the multitudes of blessings in my life- I can only wish that I were more deserving.

Happy Thankgiving!

he's here!

while it is really not my news to announce, I am so excited about the arrival of my newest playmate William Samuel Howard! After only a few short hours of labor, Will joined us at 1:20 this afternoon. I got to meet him after school and he is just the most perfect miracle I have ever held in my arms. Will's proud parents, Gayle and Sam are both doing well and are so proud of their son who is already the most popular kid in the nursery. We think Will is going to be a basketball player like his daddy so look for him to be sporting a Vandy jersey in 2026 (unless Aunt Cara can sway him to Wake Forest!)

Will, I'm so glad you are finally here. I have been waiting for nine months to meet you and can't wait to watch you grow up! You are wonderfully and fearfully made. Love you already!

pjs at the kk...

it started last year and has now become one of my favorite traditions... the night before the first day of school, I go pick up MaceyFacey and Buggie and in our pajamas, we head to one of our favorite places- Krispy Kreme. It is such a fun way to wish them well on the new school year and a great excuse to eat a hot fresh now doughnut with my sweet girls. This year was especially exciting because the bride Juniper was home from FL and was able to join us and we were celebrating the girls going to the same school for the first time in three years! Look out Phelam Road- here come the cutest, smartest kindergartener and second grader you have ever seen (but I might be slightly biased!)

salmon in seattle...

well, I didn't get to stick my toes in the Pacific Ocean, but my week in the Pacific Northwest was terrific...I learned tons at the ces small schools summer institute in Portland. I left with great ideas about how to re-structure my advisory group and fun ways to invite my students to learn deeply and engage more fully through inquiry and employing new technology in their portfolios and projects. It is great to be involved in a network of educators who are teaching in similar educational communities and are willing to share their great ideas! I can't wait for Fall Forum in November when I get to present a workshop!

After our week in Portland (where I must add, I visited the COOLEST bookstore on the planet- Powell's Books), my fellow teacher and good friend Ginger and I hopped into our rental car (for which we shamelessly flirted with the guy helping us in order to get a sweet upgrade) and drove up to Seattle. I was so excited to see the Space Needle...I have an unexplained fascination with this structure...not surprising to some of you I'm sure, but wanted to put it out there.
So we drove up on Friday, stopped to check into the hotel and then headed into town to explore Pioneer Square before cheering on the Seattle Mariner's at SafeCo Field! We sampled the famous garlic fries and watched the M's soundly beat the Indians...it was a good day!
Saturday we woke up and got started early. First stop was the very first Starbucks store...I don't drink coffee, I prefer my caffiene cold and in a coke bottle, but I had to visit so my daddy and sis wouldn't shoot me dead! After a vanilla steamer and the most amazing apple cinnamon roll from a little Russian bakery, we explored the Pike Place Market. I was really pumped about seeing the guys that yelled and threw fish...again an unexplained fascination...I had gotten it into my head that I really wanted to catch a fish that they threw, I thought that would be a very Seattle experience...and it was! They let me go behind the counter and the crazy fish catching guy educated me on the finer points of fish catching, then they yelled and threw me a fish...and I caught it! It was pretty cool!

After the market, we visited the Space Needle and looked out over the entire city; it was a clear day and we could see forever it seemed. We explored other parts of the city and eventually made it to the U District and Agua Verde Cafe and Paddle Club for dinner. My friend Carolyn who lived in Seattle last summer suggested this great restaurant and it was a perfect spot to relax on the porch, eat yummy fish tacos, and watch the kayakers and boaters on the lake. On our drive back to the hotel, we caught a glimpse of Mt. Ranier almost floating above the city...what an awesome sight!

I had a great trip and am very glad to be home for a while now. The summer is winding down for me and I need to spend some serious time planning for my new kid-o's. I am almost ready to get back into the swing of the school year...but leaving summer behind will be hard...that whole change thing...

my list...

Next week, I will get to cross an entry off my "Things I Want to Do" List! I am flying to Portland, OR on Sunday for a conference and this marks my very frist trip to the West Coast. Hopefully, I will find time at some point during the week to make it to the Pacific Ocean so I can cross off- "Stick my toes in the Pacific Ocean." While i have been working on some of these things, this will be my first entry to cross off. As for the rest of the list:
*go to all 7 continents
*learn to fly fish
*sail a sailboat
*make an eagle on the golf course
*dance in the rain
*knit a sweater
*be beautiful
*visit every Major League Ballpark in the US
*backpack for a week
*create beauty
*make people wonder
*fall in love

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Fjun in the Fjords

I cannot believe that I will turn the calendar to July next week...time flies when you are enjoying the summer! I feel that it is my responsibility as a teacher to fully embrace my summer months by being outside and enjoying the freedom to travel...so I've been busy trying to live up to these self imposed expectations! So, as soon as school ended, I headed across the pond with my friend Lizzie to visit Christy in Copenhagen. We stayed in Denmark for a few days and then flew north to Norway where we trekked across the country from Bergen to Oslo. It was a fantastic trip and a great way to start the summer.

Christy and I with my Copenhagen city bike- took me all around the city and then got stolen!

Nyhvnd, a cool area next to the water

At the fish market in Bergen, on a typically rainy day!

Ready to kayak the narrowest fjord in Norway; our day on the water was a highlight of the trip

This was a huge waterfall that we stopped to see on our train from Flam to Myrdal; please note the odd Norse fairy/maiden on the right side of the picture- way too odd and disturbing to explain, just know that Lizzie and I still talk about this in hushed, awed tones- not really sure what we witnessed!

an amazing frozen lake from the train to Oslo- in June...crazy!

We never could figure out what they were looking at

the supercool ski jump just outside of Oslo-it was pee-in-your-pants high!

the one troll in Norway that was not scary!