My First Blog Award

I got this award from my friend Lara this week:

I was so surprised because I know my blog is pretty boring most of the time--I don't have cute kids or interesting hobbies that I write about. So I feel very proud, especially since Lara is the blog meister. Anyway, with this award I have to talk about 5 things that I love and tag 5 other blogs that I love. So here goes:

1. Middle school literature. I love love love it. Maybe it's the freshness and open possibilities, but I just can't get enough.

2. Science fiction/Fantasy movies or books. Again, can't get enough. Maybe I have problems with reality.

3. My 13 nieces and nephews. I continually harrass my brothers and sisters for photos.

4. Fleece. I am really and truly obsessed.

5. My job, where I get to act like a total idiot every day and get paid for it. (Except for when grades are due, and then I hate it passionately)

I am bequeathing this award to the following blogs:

1. Daily Symphony by Erin Leithead. I met Erin in North Carolina and she was such a good friend to me. She moved back to Utah and I was very bummed. It turned out great for her, but not so great for me! Erin has so many interesting things that she posts about, from life with her two adorable little girls to programs that she finds online or recipes that she recommends. I love her blog and I wish she didn't live in SEATTLE. (Honestly, can you GET farther away from Rhode Island?)

2. Gorgeous Georges by Susanna George. Sue does the best in my family at posting pictures of the kids. She also has like 1 million friends so the comment section on her blog is always packed with fun responses. I check every day to see how my little niece and nephews are doing.

3. Gobblin Market by Emma Forsyth. I am giving Emma this award as an encouragement because she has been EXTREMELY lax about posting in the last year and I am in revolt. I loved reading about the books she is reading and the scrum-diddly-umptious recipes that she would prepare, describe and demonstrate oh-so-mouthwateringly! Not to mention that she now has a Berner to take pictures of. Get posting already!

4. Witness to Insanity by Stephanie Birkinshaw. Stephanie was one of my companions on my mission in France who literally saved my sanity. She has three adorable boys and I love reading about her adjustment to life with her baby-boy twins Alex and Brady.

5. Give me a few words for a woman to sing by Rachel Porcaro. I don't think I have ever met anyone more real than Rachel. We lived close when we were in North Carolina at graduate school but those darn jobs took us to different states. I miss her and love keeping up by reading her blog.

Okay everyone--go out there and love some blogs!

Parlez-vous français

Next week I will teach my first French class in 9 years. I am TERRIFIED! It has been so long and in that time I have taught only Spanish. JC and I only use French to tell secrets and since we don´t have that many we don´t use French much! I am so used to using Spanish in the everyday that I am a little concerned about getting up in front of a class and trying to run it in a different language. It is very embarrassing to be speaking one language and blurt out something in another. (Yes, I know from experience) Or worse, teach a grammatical principle that applies to the wrong language!

At least it´s French 1.

New Years Resolutions brought to you by Luna

I usually don't make resolutions so this is kind of new for me. I have been thinking a bit about how my life is as opposed to how I want it to be. And I think that is how I have decided what I want to focus on this year. I feel like we just keep working and working and waiting and waiting for our actual life to start, and not focusing on the important things. Let's face it, JC is 41 and I am 34 and as my mother says, we are no spring chickens. When is this "real life" going to start? My mom had 6 kids by the time she was my age and most of my sisters have three or more. That hasn't been how things worked out for JC and me and admittedly we are so busy that perhaps that's how things are supposed to be right now.

Anyway, JC was talking to the dog today, telling her what a good life she had because she doesn't do anything except eat, beg for food and sleep. And I realized that while I have a need to do more than those three things, there were a few things I could learn from my dog's approach to life. So here goes.



1. I will be happy with my life the way it is and not concentrate on all the things that it is not. I know Luna does not sit around thinking, "I wish I had a better life" or "I wish we lived in a bigger house". She is delighted to eat, drink, run, greet, sit and sleep, or watch TV. Whatever people are doing, that's what she wants to do. (although I do suspect she wishes passionately for something to fall on the ground while I am cooking)

2. I will stop worrying about what will or will not happen and live in the moment. Luna doesn't worry about whether she will be fed every day. She is very happy to be fed, but if she misses a meal she doesn't crash down into despair. She moves on and starts scavenging off the floor or out in the park. Disgusting but practical.

3. I will pay more attention to JC. Luna has her eyes on JC every moment. (Mostly because he feeds her contraband but also because he is the center of the universe for her) We are both very independent people , but JC is always taking care of everyone else and I need to be better at taking care of him, especially now that his book is being published and he will be working on his manuscript in addition to his regular teaching. I have seen him make himself sick from exhaustion and I do not want that to happen to him. I had a very bad year last year and JC got me through it. Now it is my turn to get him through a tough year. I never forget how seriously lucky I got when I married him.

So there it is. This life is what I have and it is enough and I am grateful. I guess dogs do have a few things to teach their owners.