It Really is the Little Things

So, this blog is called "The Little Things" because it was the random small trips that made my summer big and exciting. And, it really is the small things in life that make it so entertaining and so enjoyable. I've been SOOOOOO insanely busy lately and haven't had time to blog much, but I think that if I just give a brief synopsis in terms of the "simple things" then it'll make up for many of the blog entries I haven't had the time to write. So, here it is. It's the little things that make the biggest difference.

School:
That one child, that's in everyone's class, the one that makes it hard to sleep at night, is now out of mine. I'm excited for him and so happy to see him placed in a setting that will really benefit him. As I send him off, all I can say is "good luck to ya." But, now that he's gone, it's the little things in the classroom that make me so excited. I don't have to keep one white board marker in my pocket to use at the front and back board. I actually can have all four colored markers on the shelf at my board!!! I actually have a bookcase back, it's not full of blocks, and broken crayons, and ripped papers. (Okay, well it's not all the way back to being mine yet because I haven't had time to organize it yet.) I can have my jar of M&Ms set out now to give to the guided reading groups, like I haven't had a chance to do yet because the candies were locked in the closet for obvious reasons. I can use the projector in my room way more often without being worried it's going to get knocked over. The list goes on and on. And even though these really are all small things, it was SO nice to have the white board markers on the white board.
It was funny. The first day he was gone, all of my lessons ended 5-10 minutes early. It was weird. Oh, the little things.

Energy:
Teacher parent conferences were this week and that meant that I was putting in 12 hour days, no exaggeration. I showed up at 7am and left after 7pm. And it's two nights in a row, and they're Wednesday and Thursday, so we still have to come back and teach on Friday. Who planned it that way? I'm not sure. Anyway, Wednesday night I came home and was absolutely exhausted. I did a little more prep and paid some bills or something, but then went to bed at 9:30 (wasn't able to fall asleep for hours, but that's another story). I was worried because Thursday is the community tutoring that I'm in charge of and so I had to go straight from conferences to that and I was scared I wasn't going to make it, but it turns out that I had so much energy and pep that night. Not only did tutoring go well, but I came home, did some more bill paying or something, and felt the need to go for a run, so I did. Mmmmm.... I think energy is my favorite little thing :o)

Plus, there's an instant energy that comes from it being Friday. So, Thursday, I had all that energy, and then right after my run and shower, I felt a serious drop in energy, which was fine because it was bed time. But again, I couldn't fall asleep. It was hard to wake up for my alarm Friday morning, but as soon as I was up, I was up, and had all the energy I needed (and way more). I talked to Stacey about it at lunch. I asked if she automatically had extra energy on Fridays and she said it had something to do with seeing the end in sight. I loved it. I was way more relaxed with the kids, able to joke around more, and was smiley all day. After working 12 hours two days in a row, with some community tutoring thrown in too, and not being able to fall asleep, I should have been way zombie-ee, but no, I was FULL of energy.

Kids:
The kids are hilarious. I don't usually realize how adorable my students are or appreciate the funny things they say, but Friday my eyes were much more open to their adorableness. Friday was picture day and so I curled my hair to try to look nice for the pictures. On our way to lunch, Abigail comments on how she likes my hair. I thank her for the compliment and then Kristoff adds in that he likes it too and then starts questioning me about how I did it. It was so adorable that he would be so interested in my curling iron :o) And right before all of this, Salvador, my little slow speaker who always has something that he NEEDS to inform me about looks up, and out of the blue asks me if I can do a jumping summer-salt. But he kept walking as he asked me, didn't even wait for an answer, just kept walking. It was pretty funny.

And I'm not going to lie, I really enjoy getting compliments from the 2nd graders. Most of the time, it doesn't even come from the kids in my class. I'll be standing in front of my door, waiting for my class to come in, and the other 2nd grade classes will be coming in and the kids will pass by and say, "I really like you shoes Miss Kerby" or glasses, skirts, shirts, hair, whatever it is, they'll compliment it. It's so adorable- plus, my outfits get complimented so rarely, I'll take it any time I can get it, even if it is from 7 year olds :o)

And the hugs. I get absolutely bombarded at lunch from 3rd graders that I students taught with last year. 3rd graders that weren't even in my class, but had me when we did rotations will run up and give me hugs. It's fun. Although it does make it hard to help my class through the line sometimes when I get a big swarm of them going.

Nature:
One of the things I bragged about in the blog about my new apartment was the view of the lake that I have from my window. I meant to write about this forever ago because it was one of those things that was keeping me sane. There was a period of time when I was just really frustrated and that was just about the only emotion that I was feeling. One day I was driving home and looked out at the lake and realized how lucky I am to have that view. It was what cheered me up on those extra hard days. Unfortunately they are now building a grocery store right across from the complex, and they are working really hard at wiping out my view, but even still, if I take the "longer" way home, I can crest the hill and at least still get that view of the mountains and the lake before getting home. Not the most beautiful site you'll ever see, but it's one of those simple things that warms my heart <3

Service and Family:
I have become very self involved. For real, for the longest time I had NO idea what was happening with anyone in my family (I'm getting a little better now). It wasn't that I was selfish, it was just that school was keeping me very busy and I didn't feel that I had the time to blog, call home, visit cousins, etc. I was doing things for other people (my students) but I didn't really feel great that all I knew was my life, my stresses. I started going to the temple every week and some amazing things resulted from that service. And I got a calling to be put in charge of a community tutoring program. Oh my gosh, this thing is so much work, but I'm so excited for it. So it is one more stresser, but because I have to reach out to so many people to ask them to help, or ask for ideas, I'm getting more involved with other people's lives. I'm no longer only caught up in my own problems, and I talk to people that aren't 7 :o) And I've gotten better with the family thing too. I made dinner for Eric, Ryan, and Jon and it was great to have them over and visit. Then Dana and Josh came up and I tried to be very hospitable to them. That same weekend I saw Mom, Dad, Grandma, Roman, Isaac, and Aaron and spent time with them (although I do need work with the boys because I was mean aunt Brooke that trip and that's not alright with me).

Ah.... for real. Life is hard, and that's why I'm so grateful to be reminded of all the little things in life that make it easier to keep going.