Summer time

Yesterday I had 6 hours of online professional development and also our end of year faculty picnic.

So highs and lows.

The online training was about as thrilling as you'd expect.  At least I did it with my friends.  The third grade team always meets in my classroom because they say it's the cleanest.  Right now all our rooms are equally clean with all the end of the year loose ends tied up, but I guess old habits die hard.

We stopped for lunch and had an end of year teacher slideshow that made me want to cry because I love my job and my school and the people I work with so much.  I felt very fortunate to be where I was.

(I was trying to remember why I didn't go to the faculty end of year party last year as an aide and I remembered. I was in the hospital, with Mark.  I liked this year better.)

We ate our lunches out on the lawn in clumps of chairs and the third grade teachers ended up with the second grade teachers and we talked about all the things.

We dragged ourselves out of the sunshine and back into my classroom.  By then the AC had been turned off (it only runs in the morning during the summer months) and the temperature crept up in equal measure to our eyes getting heavy.

I fished some quarters out of my bag and went to the faculty lounge to try out the brand new soda machine.

It took my money but didn't deliver a soda.

And it wouldn't relinquish my coins.

I checked the thermometer in my room and it was 78 degrees.  Perfect weather for studying the new science standards we are going to be teaching....

Mark arrived inexplicably.  A few days before I had talked to him about helping me in my classroom but I didn't mean yesterday.  I was doing my training yesterday.  He had been asleep when I left home in the morning and then there he was.  I gave him some cash and told him to go get me a soda.  He happily complied (and got one for himself which surprised exactly no one).

There was a stream of teachers coming in and out of my room.  Miriam, the PE teacher, Nicole, a 4th grade teacher, and Jamie, the instructional coach stopped in to chat.  Lauren, a 1st grade teacher popped her head in and asked Jamie if she still had sodas in the fridge in her office.  Jamie said yes.

I said, "I had my teenage son go get me one."

Lauren said, "I don't have a teenage son."

I gestured to the corner where Mark was listening to his headphones and said, "You can use mine."

But Jamie had a soda for Lauren and we got back to our training.

Later, because miracles haven't ceased, I was finally able to go to IKEA to pick up some things I'd ordered for my classroom.  (Every day I would try online to set a time to pick them up and every day I would get the message that they were full for the day.)

Adam and I went to IKEA and grabbed dinner and anytime I do anything with Adam, it's a good day. We talked about the day and a supreme court podcast he likes and the news.

We got home in time for the senior parade.  People in our ward with trucks had the families of graduates in the back and we lined the streets with noise makers.  Horns were honking and we all waved happily to each other.  We live close but we haven't necessarily seen everyone.  Some YW leaders brought up the rear with an ice cream truck which was a decorated ATV.

We read scriptures on the deck and started the brain teaser we do every summer night about when we should turn off the AC and open the windows.  No one wants to be the one who thought it was time to open the windows and then the temperature inside climbs.  Ask me how I know.

It feels like summer is really and truly upon us.