Rocky Mountain High

Hello again.  My absence can only be explained by this:

Have I ever told you about the mountains and sea?  They both captivate me.  It's rare that I get either so the gift of one is enough to make my summer.  As Pop and I covered over 3,000 miles in the car I was given the chance to see some the of the true landscape of this country.  Wyoming - yes, I'll take you, you and your mountains and rivers and trees and animals and endless roads.  Something about no one around to bother me.  Except of course, the man beside me driving the beast.  But so many sweet things happened, casting a line in mountain stream or seeing wild horses on the hilltop. I'm comforted, safe, and at peace.
But it's funny how I can be so in the moment in certain places and then fall right back out, almost into the future - things that are lurking.  All things that are incomplete waiting for me when the moment is over. I only hope I can learn to better carry that peace with me.

U-S-A

I'm a sucker for drama. Especially when someone gets suckerpunched, especially when there's a comeback kid, and if there's an entire comeback team, forget it.  I'm planted.  I like finding something to get behind and staying there, cheering, until the run ends.  I like being awed and getting goosebumps. And I like to think they appreciate my support.

Man on Campus

I'll tell you that I love my big red, when it's working.  That car, and all cars, are generally no fun. But this guy is always fun so I'll deal with the inconvenience to see his face.  

A getaway to Columbia left my vehicle smoking but me beaming. A little peak into someone's new life...

though it never feels like we've been seperated.  He seems so grown up when I seem him now, but that little voice that calls out my name and grabs my hand to come play always makes me smile.  

Coming back home and gearing up for another long trip - and coming home again- means new perspective, fresh ideas, and reevaluation.  Decisions make me nervous.  That's ok.  As long as I'm moving. 

Benefits

Work-Out

Here I am, only a breath into July and I'm already thinking about October.  But only a breath, it seemed, and summer school was over as well. I can take so much more from a kid than I can from an adult...so the summer proved to be a nice break, even while still going to work and taking a hit. Literally. A hit. My new friend A can throw a right hook, sometimes a left, and gives no regard as to where it lands. If that fails he resorts to the bear hug, hoping to squeeze me right into submission. It doesn't work. I "man-up" and squeeze right back, moreso giving into his need for pressure sensory than anything else. It's a battle I'm willing to be in.
And who wouldn't fall in love with a kid who thinks your ears look like windmills?

The whole ordeal, for obvious reasons, would stress a lot of people out, but I've had a great deal of fun the past 4 weeks. A part of me was feeling that I was doing what I should be doing, because people were telling me so and sounded rather convincing.  I like things to be convincing, and there is something about summer, as harsh as I find it, that's more convinging than the rest of the year.  Maybe its all the friggin' sunshine.

Dream a Little....

In my dream, people I know but never really associate with were all there - at a party in a huge mansion. I was looking for a bathroom all over the place (in the dream), down every hallway and behind every door and all I kept finding were squaty- potties.  I was frantic but thought I would just have to cave.  I woke up desperatly having to pee but very relieved.  A few weeks ago I dreamed that Shannon and her boyfriend bought a huge house in Korea and invited everyone they knew to come live with them.  It seemed possible.
Korea has a way of popping up in my thoughts, and my dreams have a way of finding themselves in my real life.  My dreams need more umph.  

I've Been Told This Already

A week down and I've only been hit once.  Well, maybe two or three times but only one occasion so we won't count each swing.
Someone else told me this past week that I would make a great teacher, and I cringed while thinking about how my list of people who believe the same just keeps getting longer and longer.
I may be meeting them halfway by going back to school this fall.  Applications are underway, and so is the anticipation and angst. If I'm going at their pushing, I'm going on my terms.  I avoided it back when for the same reason I'm avoiding it now; its more than just having my own classroom, its everything that comes along with it.  Being a student can be so...nerve-wrecking.  And just don't tell me what to do.  I know, I know.
But I'll add to my credentials and if a classroom or a teaching gig comes along with it, I'll deal the cards I'm given I suppose.  The end goal will be my Master's, whether in straight English or in ESL, both undertakings I have enjoyed.  I'm not willing to sacrifce that much.