Grateful Friday

Here's what I'm grateful for:

1.

I survived my first week!  Starting work after a nearly 22 year hiatus is a new experience.

2.

I think I'll love my job.  Some parts of it are less exciting than others but I love working one on one with students and just being in a school.  Recess duty is the best.  Little kids come up to me with a tiny Lego creation they made, someone needs their shoe tied, someone else wants to show me a trick they learned bouncing a ball.  It delights me.

3.

(This one's for Nyla)  I found out where to put my purse!  Also, I found a secret stash for my sunglasses and whistle in the old part of the school where I usually am rather than the new part of school, where I keep the rest of my things.  It's the details.

4.

Adam gave me a Fox 40 whistle.  If you don't know why Fox 40 whistles are the best, I will refer you to Adam for education.  There aren't recess bells so I need to blow the whistle when recess is done.  That little Fox 40 does the trick!

5. 

Mark is happy with his new school year.  I am happy with his new teachers.  This is his back to school shot--lounging on the couch.

There was a great absence of fanfare on the first day.  This is what happens with a third child apparently.  That and the night before school, since we'd bought zero school supplies, it occurred to him that he maybe needed a notebook.  It hadn't occurred to me at all.

6.

My family has been super supportive with my new work adventure.  My mom and sisters have called to check in.  My dad forgave me for being too preoccupied to send him a birthday card or gift on time.  Our kids have been encouraging and oh so helpful.  Braeden shouldered extra work every day because he's not working right now.  He made the kitchen so clean and pretty I wanted to cry.  Mark filled out all his disclosure documents completely leaving only the spot for me to sign.  He even arranged a pen.

Those kids make me feel loved.

Adam is, as always, my anchor and rudder and rock and whatever other metaphor you can come up with for the guy who makes everything all right.

7.

It's a small world after all.  One lady I work with has a son that lives in the apartment building Braeden is moving in to next week.  Someone else I work with lives in my same stake (although she goes to a singles ward outside the stake).  It's that old Utah County Magic and pretty soon we're sitting around the table at lunch talking about family history and missionary sons.

8.

The Jorgensens are coming to stay this weekend!  I have been looking forward to it all week.