Reflection and Goals

 How can it be that it's April?  Does anyone else feel like the first 3 months of 2021 went whizzing by at a quicker pace than you were ready for?  That is not a bad thing....I just can't believe that it's April.  I am ready for the warmer weather that will hopefully be coming. 

This week was spring break and it did not feel like spring to me.  I wore my winter coat every day and ran in layers whenever I ran outside.  

I have been doing lots of my miles outside and I am happy to say that I have been hitting 25 (or more) running miles for the last month.

This week was a pretty low key spring break week.  We did some small things each day but never anything far away.  Today I headed to my mom's house for a visit and I am looking forward to all the Easter celebrations in Illinois this weekend.

Along with my visit at my mom's house, another highlight was a book club meeting on Monday night.  We read the book Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.  It was a good eye-opener for me and I loved discussing the book with such amazing women.  While Emira, the main character,  may not be a hero by definition, I felt like she took some bold steps for herself and I really loved the ending. 

My next book that I've started reading is part of a book club, too:  Bravey by Alexi Pappas.  If you are interested in joining our discussion, let me know.  It starts on Sunday, April 11.

Each day of the school week I read a #classroombookaday to my 5th graders.  My absolute favorite in March was Eyes That Kiss in the Corners.  If you have any reason to read a wonderful picture book,  I encourage you to pick up this one.

In March I had my annual physical and this year I had bloodwork done (haven't had that done since I was pregnant so at least 15 years ago....).   I was really pleased with all of my numbers there.  That doesn't mean that I am going to get lazy and content.  I have some work to do to get better. My workouts were decent during the first quarter of the year but I am going to work on adding in some weight training and abs on a more regular schedule.  

In March Kate and I ran a REAL RACE!!!   It was the Dyersville, IA, Gaelic Gallop 8K.  I am super happy with how well we did.  Finished in 45:55 (9:10 avg pace).  My next race is June 12 (10K) so I'd like to be able to run it in 55 minutes or less.   I think I can train for that.

I am so proud of the first quarter of 2021 and I can't wait to see more great things happen from now until the end of June.  I will check in along the way to share how it's going.

Goals:

Run 25 or more miles each week.

Drink water daily.

Weight train at least 2 x a week.

Do ab work 5 x a week.

Here's to a great April!   It's birthday month for both of my kiddos.  I don't need excuses to celebrate them so I'm sure there will lots of fun things this week.

What doesn't kill you....

You know the rest, right?  We are all going to come out the other side of COVID 19 STRONGER than EVER!   I believe that.

I'd like to back up just a few short weeks with this reflection post.  When school let out for Spring Break on March 6 at 3:15, I had no idea that I wouldn't get to see the 66 amazing 5th graders burst back into the classroom.  When we walked out the door that Friday, we fully intended to begin classes (as usual) on Monday, March 16. 

Spring Break was going to be a time for our family of four to do a mini trip to Champaign, Illinois, to watch some Fighting Illini Basketball and just enjoy some down time.  Thankfully we did get to do that!  The Sunday night game against the Iowa Hawkeyes was an amazing game and the Illini came out on top.  With the buzze that game, we began to look forward to Thursday's games that would possibly be a rematch of these 2 teams but in Indianapolis as part of the 2020 Big Ten Men's Tournament.....  By March 12, COVID -19 concerns had caused cancellations throughout the entire sports world.

We returned home on Tuesday.  Things were already starting to show signs of what was to come.  I watched as Illinois' Governor J. B. Pritzker closed all Illinois Schools on Friday, March 13, and figured it was just a matter of time until Governor Evers would do the same in Wisconsin.  This definitely had me feeling afraid.  I was afraid for my mom who lives in Illinois all alone.  I was afraid for my own family because we had come in contact with lots of people while in Champaign at a huge sporting event.  I was afraid because I didn't understand so much about what was happening.  That was the real reason I felt afraid - I didn't understand.  Fear of what I didn't even know. 

That Saturday we went to Dubuque for what should have been a HUGE magic show.  It was something that the Tri-State Magic Club has been planning for months.  Before the show I had even contemplated not going at all.  In fact I had told the students that were supposed to go with that I couldn't in good conscience put them in a situation like that.  There was snow falling as we arrived at the art museum and walked inside.  I quickly set up my props on the table and sat visiting with my family and some of my magician friends.  As it got close to show time, there were only 3 guests...  Was everyone else afraid of COVID-19, too?  By the time the show started there were about 40 guests but it was nothing like what we had been planning for.  After the show our family did grocery shopping assuming that we'd be back in Dubuque for groceries the following week.  As we were in Wal-mart there were many signs that people there were preparing for something different.  I could tell by the items that people were buying and from what was already missing from the shelves (think toilet paper and chocolate milk).  We bought the things we thought we'd need for the week and headed home.

Sunday morning we went to church and I gave the children's sermon to just my two kids.  During the service the announcement was made that that would be the final service during March and that all remaining Lenten services would be cancelled.  That shook me.  I am a preacher's kid and I am confident that even in the rural churches I attended from 1998 until 2000 there weren't 2 consecutive Sundays where church was cancelled.   It was a rare event due to weather when it did happen.  Something about church being cancelled just really made me even more afraid. 

After church I headed to school for a Guided Coalition Meeting to discuss a plan for how we would connect and teach kids during what I thought was going to be a short school shutdown.  The original plan was for teachers to attend school Monday and Tuesday and then have things ready to go out to families midweek.  Things changed before Monday morning and a new plan was made.  Tuesday we got together with our grade level teams and made instructional folders for our students and bagged up all of the contents of their lockers.  Wednesday families came to school (but not into the school) to pick things up. 

Wednesday morning was rainy, but we headed up to the middle school and high school to gather all of Kate and Will's things.  We were home and eating breakfast at the kitchen table as a family by 8:30.  I headed to my school for my shift and I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to be able to see some of my kiddos and give them quick hugs (I asked parents first every time).  Even at that point I was thinking that by Monday, April 6, we would be back at school....That isn't going to happen.  As of right now we are still on a safer at home order through April 24.

In those two weeks I have experienced every possible emotion but here's what I am going to focus on.

I am loving the game nights with my family!  I am loving Zoom calls with my students.  I am loving watching the Today show in the mornings ---sometimes while I run on the treadmill and sometimes while I lounge on the couch.  I am loving eating my s'mores cereal late in the morning.  I am loving this time at home for movies and books and all things that there often isn't time for.

 don't think I will ever be a very good Pizza Delivery Girl but I have gotten two nights of work at Happy Joe's during all of this.

How are things going for you?  Are you working from home?  What are you enjoying about the way things are today?

I'd like to leave you with these words from Glennon Doyle (She has a great newer book out - Untamed.   Check it out while you have some time.)

"Life is not safe, and so our task is not to promise there will be no turbulence.  It's to assure each other that when the turbulence comes, we will all hold hands and get through this together."

#bettertogether 

Spring Break Reflections

Spring Break 2019 was spent in our nation's capitol.  It was a wonderful and full 9 days!  

It wrapped up with a 13.1 run through Washington, DC!

If you asked Kate what her favorite thing was it wouldn't surprise me if she said it was the Starbuck's on every corner.  Many mornings started with a carmel frappacino. 

We loved our Moonlight and Memorials Tour but wish it had been a little warmer.  My feel were so cold that I din't know if they would every warm up!  It felt like I was walking on ice blocks.

Wednesday we did Ford's Theater and the Holocaust Museum.  I had been looking forward to the Holocaust Museum and it did not disappoint.  While it is a somber topic, I cannot imagine it having been done any better.

Here's a recap of what we saw while we were there:

Sunday

National Cathedral

National Geographic Museum (Egypt)

Black Finn

Monday

National Archives

Capitol

National Mall/ Smithsonians (air and space, natural history)

Ted's Bulletin

Tuesday

Arlington National Cemetery

The Pentagon

911 Memorial

Wednesday

Ford's Theater

Holocaust Museum

Moonlight and Memorials Tour

Georgia Brown's

Thursday

Race Expo

Black Finn with the Davies Family

Friday

American History and African American Museums

Bozzelli's Deli

Saturday

RACE Day!

I hope to add some more trip reflection and thoughts to this post but wanted to get a few things out there before I forget!