And Now, the Gratitude

Such wonderful, kind words from you all.  Thank you so much.  My week has been very busy, as the school year comes to a close. So many deadlines! Every email is marked Urgent! State testing every day! The stress level is palpable around this time, especially at the high school level. I received my 20 year service pin this week too, which is kind of mind blowing.  I cannot believe it has been that long since I started this career.  And although this profession seems undervalued and under attack, I can't imagine myself doing anything else.  I am so very fortunate to have the privilege of working with young people, because even though it can be frustrating at times, it is also amazing to be able to do such creative work on a daily basis.  It keeps me on my toes and always learning something new, either about a topic or about myself.  

I drove to Richmond yesterday to meet up with Stephanie for the first time since her return from her teaching stint in France.  It was wonderful visiting with her and catching up face-to-face.  We ate at Kuba, Kuba, one of my favorite Richmond restaurants, then walked around the Fan District for a bit.  The traffic on I64 was terrible but that's pretty normal for a summer Saturday.  

 

I have been walking on the weekends, although not on the beach for some reason.  Instead, I've been driving to nearby neighborhoods and parking the car, so I can explore new places.  I spotted this heron on my walk last Sunday, in the neighborhood near the Hermitage Museum.  Norfolk has a lot of wetland areas, which makes the scenery more interesting, I think.

 

 

I need to stay home and catch up on the yard work as I've been "running the roads" too much, as my mother-in-law used to say, but I guess the weeds will wait for me.  

 Finally, Gracie, sunning in one of her favorite spots: the beat up dresser I use in the kitchen to store napkins, dish towels, and tablecloths.  

 

The two windows make it a perfect spot for monitoring the birds and wandering neighborhood cats.  Unless she's posing for her photo session, that is.