Newlywed Valentine's Day

Despite what everyone says about Valentine's Day, I loved it.

My husband bought me a new game, beautiful red roses, and took me out for a very lovely dinner. (And we bought doughnuts for breakfast.) I will realistically admit that Andrew was disappointed in the florist who was supposed to deliver the flowers during the school day but didn't get around to it until after 4, and the new bistro we tried had food that left a little to be desired. But - just as realistically - it was the best Valentine's Day ever. I am so blessed to be married to a man who not only loves me but also loves to show it. He constantly thinks of me before himself and is a beautiful example of Christ's love. I couldn't ask for better.

At A Loss

I am warring with myself about whether to write about a particular topic or not.

Part of me needs to talk about it; the other part feels like it does not want to share.

A very dear person, who I loved very much, has passed away. Lizzie was a beautiful woman with a gentle spirit and godly character. She was a blessing to me throughout my life; from simple conversations after church, to outings for books and tea with Lizzie and her sister, to just making me feel loved. She was waiting for a heart transplant when my dad had major heart surgery; her room was just down the hall from ICU, and I loved escaping to go visit with her and her family.

I still feel like I will walk into church and see her sitting in her pew on Sunday. I feel like I will run into her shopping and be able to give her a hug. I feel like I should be able to call her to see if she would like to go out for a cup of tea. I was looking forward to her getting to know my husband; they would have liked each other very much.

I feel like my grief is immense and unending; I cannot imagine what it must be like for her family. I know I should be grateful that I was privileged enough to know her and be glad that she is in a better place - and I am - but right now, it just feels terrible.

The Long Silence

I was surprised to see that I hadn't written anything since November. It wasn't that I couldn't have made time; apparently the incessant need to write that I felt when I first got mono disappeared into all of the other things I felt I needed to do. And did need to do. Like finally grade all of those papers.

I am excited about this new year that has started. Excited to try new things, explore new ideas, and dream new dreams. I'm hoping to consistently write and develop skills that have long laid dormant. I don't know what this new year will hold, but I certainly never would have imagined last year at this time that I would be married, with the most incredible husband ever created. (This is not hyperbole. The man is incredible.)

Although the original "Year of Fun" is technically over, the philosophy will carry over. Instead of New Year's Resolutions, I will have the Year of Fun plans. And this time, I made them with my husband. :)

Enough Already

I am so tired of politics. Mudslinging, creating fear, saying what people want to hear. Countless ads, constantly in the news, a total mental overload. I am tired of people voting for Republicans because they are Republicans, and people voting for Democrats because they are Democrats. What about what a candidate stands for? What about the direction they are going to lead us in? The programs they will cut, the people they will hurt? As an educator, this is a really difficult time. Again, funding is going to be cut from schools. Again, teachers will be blamed for student failure when there is not enough money to buy basic supplies, some schools are falling down around those who are supposed to work and learn there, and support from anyone becomes nonexistent. Again I and my colleagues will be told we are simply not doing enough, when we work from the time we get up to the time we go to bed, constantly trying to give students what they need, constantly trying to do a better job. I would like the legislators and news media, who all claim the failure of schools is due to bad teaching, to come to a classroom in my high school for a day. Better yet, into one of the schools where students dodge ceiling tiles and try to learn sharing one computer and a handful of books. I want them to see the work we do. And then I want them to go home with my kids - those children all over the nation - who face beatings, lack of food, lack of shelter, and/or no parents at home and then figure out why their test scores don't measure up. It doesn't take a genius to see that there are other factors. If only the politicians - or more voters - cared.

Ethical Dilemma

I opened up my blog tonight to get to a link to show my husband. And then I saw it.

I am still Miss Evans on this blog. My URL is missevansexample.blogspot.com, and each posting attributes the thoughts and words to Miss Evans. I am no longer that person.

I started this blog as an example for my juniors who have to create and maintain their own blogs, so I designed everything around that. I even tried to be careful at first about sharing my personal beliefs, because I was using it as a teaching tool in public school. I soon woke up and realized that my students probably aren't reading a single thing I write on this blog, so I decided to start including references to my faith when I felt like it. (And Beloved Students, if one of you does actually decide to read a post or two, here is my disclaimer that what I write here are my personal beliefs; this blog is not a platform to attempt to brainwash you to think like me. No lawsuits, please.)

So now what do I do? I can easily figure out how to change my profile, so the postings can be claimed by the correctly named person, but what do I do about the URL? (I don't want to start a new blog. I have a hard enough time remembering this one.) I guess all this means is that there will be a little part of Miss Evans that doesn't go away...metaphor, anyone?

Pictures

I love blogs that have amazing photography interspersed with text so insightful it makes me jealous and mentally stirred all at the same time. I adore photography, and while at the moment I do not have a decent camera, I am going to start including some photos with my postings. Starting tomorrow. I have missed so many opportunities lately. The trip to Ivanhoe's after parent/teacher conferences, the weekend of good deals with Andrew - I may have to back track and include that one, the beauty of the fall leaves which have outdone themselves this year, the Pioneer Festival....the list goes on an on. I'd like to include pictures of our new house, but right now it's boxes and piles of who knows what everywhere you go. If it weren't so embarrassing, I'd include before and after pictures. Maybe I still will...

For My Husband

Andrew and I joked on the way to work today about what I would write in my blog today...I wasn't actually going to write anything and just let things sit and percolate, but I feel the need to post something for his sake. Good thing for the day: a husband who can make me laugh at 6:30 in the morning when I am tired and just want to stay home. Thank you, Jesus!