summer 2011

{new red shoes }

I have recently:

 - had three lumps found in my breast; had two mammograms and an ultrasound and found out they were benign (after finding my tears about it all in a dressing room meltdown in a very revealing hospital gown while texting a friend)

 - have a daughter going in for an MRI for what looks like migraines - but we need to be sure

 - have a husband seeing a GI specialist due to some severe and long-term abdominal pain

 - am starting back to teaching a 3rd and a 4/5th grader and they seem to want new and fresh challenges (i.e. learning the origin of words - any advice on that study?!)

 - endured a summer of only three days (until now) where the temps were above 70s - this affected me more than I expected

{ one of the warm days }

 - read four books I loved this summer and a few more that made me think... and two to the kids we really enjoyed

 - have started some intense new things for me that are hopeful but not so easy

 - seen two kids become accomplished swimmers, new snorklers and burgeoning divers; watched them fall in love with tennis/performing and dancing/independence... and observed an added four inches to their collective height in two weeks

{ so tall }

 - been the most relaxed I ever felt about teaching school and the most aware that if my daughter really does leave home at 16 (as is her plan) (as did her dad, mom and maternal grandmother) than I only have six years left with her

 - run way more than I planned on all summer (last week I almost hit 40 miles including some walked/hiked miles) and am getting (really) excited about crisp autumn running under coloured leaves and running at night past pretty Christmas lights

{ long run saturdays make me happy }

 - have chosen the colour pink as my theme colour for this new year & have decided I really like the month of September so far

{ a potential coup }