Teri Parris Ford's Blog

The beginnings of goodbyes

We had our last backyard meeting... kind of. We meet on Thursday to get yearbooks, but today was our senior send off. I bring cake and ask Joe and Melissa's backyard's to join us for a big party. We've done it several years now and it's a lot of fun. I felt a little teary when I watched the last Spartan News for the year. Someone asked if this year's seniors were particularly special and I felt bad saying no. Every year I feel a connections to few kids who've I had several times throughout their high school career. I love getting to know them and making those connections. Some years I have more than others. My involvement in student government and the paper offers me more connections than just the classroom. This year's backyard seniors are a quieter bunch, but I love that they have grown from silent freshman to very smart seniors.

After backyard, the day was very quiet. Jessi left early for her very last track meet. It was a regional meet in Waunakee that I had wanted to go to but was asked not to. Jessi has been struggling with her throws recently and felt my presence would not help.  Monika didn't want a ride after soccer practice so I was home alone with Balt reading after our walk. In the end Monika came home and we had dinner together, which I enjoyed very much. Jessi got home late having placed 5th in our region-- the top 4 go on to sectionals. I felt that was very respectable. She has next year to figure out what went wrong and progress. It's all part of the learning. Monika has 3 more soccer games this week, I have several events to do this week, so having the night off was nice.

Mid-May

There are only 3 weeks of classes left and the weather seems as eager for summer to come as the students. The day was wonderful, slow going and mellow. Jessi left after lunch for a conference track meet in Sun Prairie. After school I ran home to take Balt for a walk before Monika's game. We barely made it back before a a quick thunderstorm which delayed Monika's game, so I wasn't late at all. Her team won easily and afterward, she went out with team mates to study for an AP exam she has on Thursday. I went home alone. I made root salad for dinner and did a bit of cleaning, hoping to get to bed early tonight.

City Outdoor

I was up coughing my guts up past midnight. I gave up trying to get sleep and just read while sucking on cough drops. I woke up feeling a bit better but still weary. I decided to keep the day low key. My students were quite accomodating. After school I took Balt for his walk and then rushed to see Jessi throw. My husband is home for the week, so he was able to take Monika to her soccer game in Middleton. It was the City Outdoor meet for all varsity in the city of Madison. Jessi came in 3rd for the shot and 5th in her discus. She was disappointed with her discus, but over all she is quite the competitor.  After the meet we went out for soup and went home. I made sure to purchase some Nyquil in order to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Hot Fest and Not Dogs

Today the JMM's captian's club put on its 8th Memorial Brat Fest. It was not the first year I missed out on a brat-- they've run out in the past. It is the very first year I tried a veggie dog... and it got a thumbs down, but not way down. I could taste the dog flavor, but the texture was all wrong; way too chewy. It just felt wrong. I usually try and get a photo of Joe and I wearing our matching t-shirts. Other than the greying beard, we haven't changed. There's grey in my hair too, but luckily it's not noticeable.

The high today was only 70, but the school was still steamy from yesterday's heat. It was a suprizingly mellow day. I covered for Joe's 5th hour and enjoyed chatting with his students. Jessi had early release for  a varsity track invite. My afternoon classes were busy but by 7th, everyone was eager to get going on the weekend. I got home as soon as possible to get Balt out on his walk in our favorite local fields. I then made my way to Waunakee for Monika's soccer game. She is fighting a bad cold and has a pulled muscle, so wasn't feeling great about the game. They lost (3-0), but against a really good team in our state (their varsity team is 3rd in the state and lost (4-0). See pictures below... 
 

 

This needs a title...

Today was a misty Tuesday. It was a good work day. The kids sold over a hundred tickets for the Prom. It was nice to see the line at lunch. I would have liked to swim, but I got a good walk with Balt both before and after school. Before heading out, I ran down to the track and got a photo of the team before their track meet. Jessi is in there front and center. I got to catch her throwing shot but I missed her discus. She PR'd in the discus and had a better throw. It makes me wonder if my presence (with Balt) distracts her. It surprises me how much of throwing is about technique and concentration, not just strength.

Monika and I ran a few errands after her soccer practice and got soup for dinner at Panera. I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I don't feel 100% but I have to stay well until Saturday Nite. I can get sick on Sunday. So I took a short nap this evening before getting back to computer to work on the newspaper and track photos. 

Progressing

When I don't know what to say about a student on report cards, I type in "progressing." It means there are no problems, but nothing exciting is happening either. I plodded through my day, getting as much done as I could. I swam during lunch and then popped in at home to make sure Erika was okay. I worked on a scavanger hunt for my field trip on Thursday, Backyard paperwork and the leadership retreat we are having on Friday. After school I got Balt and went to Jessi's track meet. She didn't PR today, but she got close in both events and the season is still early. She's progressing quite well and looks great. We grabbed some dinner after and got home after 8pm. I'm hoping to get to sleep a bit earlier tonight...

The 1st Track Meet of the Season

I woke Jessi up at 6:15am and helped get her to school within 1/2 hour to catch a bus to Whitewater for the first varsity track meet of the track season. Luckily the boys were scheduled to throw first, so I didn't need to be at the meet until about noon to catch Jessi throw. Jessi and her team mate made the finals and in the end was one of the top 8 throwers who attended. It was a great start to a hopeful season. I think her coach was pleased.

By the time we all got home it was too late for me to get to a yoga class. I did a bit of clean up and then went shopping with Monika. With soccer try-outs starting on Monday, I wanted to make sure Monika had all she needed for the week. The rest of the evening was spent with my husband relaxing. We watched our new favorite show, Awake, and a 48 Hours Mystery. As nice as it is to be home relaxing, a basketball game at the Kohl Center would've been more fun.

...and you lose some!

So the big boys state game was tonight and it was pretty dissappointing. I hate to say that they played a lot like the girls... there were a few moments of hope, but in general it was a losing battle most of the time. Oh well. I am not really all that into basketball. There's a couple of players on the team I get excited to see playing  (Cam and Sam) and most of the time I'm watching the crowd and taking care of the student photographers. Jessi and a bunch of juniors were really upset about sophomores sitting in front of them. They came to me to ask for help and there wasn't anything I could do-- first come, first sit. I told them all to get there early tomorrow... no need now.

My day was quite wonderful and the weather was amazing. Erika's and my husband's spring break this past week was just a dream. Tomorrow is Jessi's first track meet and it's supposed to be 80! Wow!

FARCH?

It was a long day and kind of ugly. With a high of 47, it seemed kind of warm outside, but I felt cold all day. Monika got me up around 5:30AM for soccer practice. I had hoped to swim during lunch but skipped out in favor of eating lunch with my friends. I had a student steal an iPod during my 7th hour which got me all pissy with my class. The kid turned it in after I told him I was taking the matter to administration. I was glad it ended well, but hate that kids can't just leave stuff alone. I volunteered to help in the consession stand after school today before Jessi's game, so I only had a bit of time to run out to pick up Balt from daycare and get him and Monika home before getting back to school. The game was awful until the 4th quarter when a few of the girls seemed to get fired up and start scoring. The effort was way too late but at least it got the score up to less embarassing numbers. Jessi and I both came home exhausted but Jessi came home to a ton of homework and studying to do. I felt bad for her. At the game one of my teacher friends called this time of the year, "Farch" --the time between February and March that is ugly, Everyone is weary of winter and ready for spring and while the weather is warming up, it's still cold and wet. Basketball is gearing down, soccer and track is eager to start (oh, and baseball/softball too, but I'm not really into those sports... sorry Stacy).  

A bit more than half way...

Second semester is underway. It's nice knowing everyday gets us a little closer to spring and then summer. I got into the pool today during lunch and enjoyed a brisk swim with a teacher friend who's looking at retiring in the next couple of years. I understood her excitement to reinvent herself. I'm not really close to retirement. I've got at least 10 more years if I retire early at 55 which I like to think about, but I shouldn't.

After school I had to run downtown for a meeting and then I had to rush back before 6pm to pick up Balt from daycare. He had a very active day, so it was nice to drop him off at home and not worry about walking him so that I could go to Jessi's basketball game. They played West, which is a big local rival. Jessi's been playing against many of the girls on that team since she was in elementary school playing at the YMCA. BUT the West team has somehow made it's way to the top 10 teams in the state. A mom was explaining to me that back in middle school the West girls were practicing everyday and playing year round. It's really paid off for them now. There's a lot of excitement in their gym. Our girls lost 26-50, but made a good effort. Jessi said they're the most aggressive team she plays. I remember her saying the same thing about them back in middle school.

On Fire

Today was a day to get stuff done. After the 7th hour final, I had a conference with a student and his parents to discuss a failing grade. It was way too late to do anything but at least I could go over what happened and why for the parents. I understand their frustration-- I just wish they would get involved before it's too late. Luckily I set an alarm for the conference on my phone. As disruptive as that is, it ended the discussion in time to get Monika to a chiropractic appt. I then met up with my art teacher friends for lunch. We all got back to school to work. The kids may have been done at 10am, but at 4pm every art teacher was still at school working. I left to give Balt a walk, but returned for Jessi's basketball game.

It was parent night and Jessi's dad made it in from Minnesota for the event, which was nice. She had an amazing game and came close to winning. I think she may have been top scorer of the evening. I had lots of parents coming by to ask me what I fed her as she seemed to be on fire on the court. It was great game for her and exciting for the team. It was too bad they lost steam in the last quarter.

 

 

In the hole...

I missed yoga today. I'm hoping to catch up by doing 2 classes on Saturday or Sunday. Last night's naseua seemed to linger today and my legs were aching more than ever. I never thought yoga could give me shin splints but hot yoga's standing series has 3 minute long shifting poses that involve bended knees (awkard pose) and 4 shifting weight from one foot  to another (eagle, standing head to knee, stand bow, and balancing stick). The long periods standing on one foot, really strengthen the legs but and cause or aggravate shin pain. I managed 9 days in a row. I am hoping I can do another 9 days after today.

I volunteered to drive down to Janesville with another BB mom tonight. I got Balt's walk in (rather than going to yoga) and then made dinner for Monika and I-- left over soup. We got to Craig HS just as the game started. The girls seemed to be playing better, but still lost badly. Jessi played quite a bit and even scored. I was glad I went afterall.

No Excuses

Balt let me sleep in this morning until about 8am. It was nice to get a bit of extra sleep on Saturday. It was a pretty relaxing day for a Saturday. I was tempted to go to an easy yoga class today since I had been going all week to some pretty hot classes BUT I didn't skip out on hot yoga today. I did skip out a bit early though because of Jessi's basketball game. Hot yoga classes are 90 minutes long. One needs to get to class at least 5 minutes early, up to 15 minutes early for popular classes. Getting in early is nice to ensure a good space and to acclimate to the heat, so I don't mind it. Most classes go a few minutes late and encourage participants to stretch out in corpse pose at the close of the class in order to re-coop. So, getting in and out takes about 2 good hours. It's a chunk of time and I have no idea how I'm going to keep this up once I'm back at work.

I knew Jessi wouldn't be playing much during tonight's game. She missed two days of practice which her coach complained about several times to her tonight. She only got to play for one quarter. The girls started out winning for the first time this whole season but lost the lead by the half. I know Jessi is super frustrated with the whole situation. She loves playing the game but feels practices are not preparing the team well enough for the game.  At times, I can tell she's confused out on the court and I know she's not the only one, I just notice it more on her. I keep hoping that a win might help turn things around mentally for the team, and I really want to be there when it happens. The truth is they need a lot more.
 

What a day!

Both Jessi and Monika had early meetings at school this morning. After finding Balt had eaten half of my cupcakes, I made sure to get going out early so he could get a good morning walk. I dropped off the cupcakes Balk didn't eat and looked at all the other cupcakes-- so many good ones. I popped in on the judges so I could taste a few. I have a student making a movie about the Smackdown. I'll be sure to post it when it's down. 

After school, I ran Balt to his walking fields for a long one and then came home for a quick nap. Jessi had a basketball game in Verona. They are ranked 8th in the state, so I knew it was going to be difficult game. Jessi was pretty sure she was starting. I want to be supportive, so I have gone to all of her games. I haven't always had the best of attitudes. Tonight they were down, 70-19 with less than a minute. I had been cheering for the team to get to 20 with no regard to the other team's score. Jessi came in and made a basket. It was so exciting! She's a tough player, playing against all odds.

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes...

I waited as long as I could to take Balt out. It was so cold this morning-- fully winter, just no snow. Jess and Moni both took the ACT this morning so I dropped them off at school early and started housework until the temps got into the 20's.  We went out to Indian Lake and he was so happy but a bit confused by the lake. He tried digging into the ice by the shore and kept looking around wondering why he couldn't swim. It was super cute. We got back in time to pick the girls up and take them out to breakfast. 

Jessi had her third game of the season against West this afternoon. It ruined my yoga schedule, but I was glad I went. She played a lot. It was a better match, but still a loss. West is currently #1 in the conference and Memorial continues to lag behind in last place. After the game I went and got pizza for the family and built a fire. All five of us were home, but no one wanted to take a family photo. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get a Christmas card out with a family photo when no one will pose. I couldn't pull it off last year and I'm going to be pretty upset if another year goes by with everyone saying they won't take a picture. 
 

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

I had a head-ache today. I don't often them and I'm glad of that. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm sure a vacation would help. 11 school days left. I had an early meeting that complicated my morning. At the last minute I sent Balt to daycare since there was no time for a morning walk. He had a great day. The highlight of my day was making it into the pool for 25 minutes of kicking hard.

I missed an afternoon meeting in order to be with my girls. I picked up Balt and took Jessi to her game at East High. She asked me not to talk about the game. In the end my goal is always just to get a good picture. It isn't supposed to matter if they win or lose. I just need a minute of playing time to get a picture because in 20 years no one will care who won or who started. We'll just want to see the picture of participation and the better that picture looks, the more impressed we will be. 
 

1 Down... a few more to go.

Fridays are always pretty nice. They're busy days typically because of student government meetings, but I try to pick up sandwiches from Jimmy Johns on Friday's for me and the girls to make it a bit more fun. Usually the girls have tests, assignments or tests that they have stressed out about and after Friday, things get better.

Tonight Jessi had her first basketball game and I knew she was nervous. She didn't expect to play much because she had missed practice for having her wisdom teeth out. I had to work the hockey game but made it over before the end of the 1st quarter. Jessi was put in at the end of the 2nd. She played more during the second half. The girls played Parker- ranked 6th in the state- so the score was no suprize. I was suprized by the disappointment on the way home. It's hard going from being the 3rd best in the state and the top of your team to being the worst in the state and feeling like you suck. I've heard Jessi ask herself now, "why?" not once, but several times this week. That's a good question. She lost all her games last year and still managed to have fun. She loved the game. I don't think she's having fun yet. I'm hoping in time it comes...

Balt has been increasingly naughty. He's chews on everything and has started to gnaw on his bedding and then suck on it almost like a pacifier. It's super cute and kind of annoying when he pulles out the stuffing. Having him to come home to after a tough day is always fun.

Thank goodness for Doggy Daycare!

Initially I had cancelled today's appointment for daycare for Balt. It was a short week and I knew he'd get good walks in late in the week. BUT this morning I had a change of heart. I knew I'd be at work late and unable to come home. Today and tomorrow were packed with a lot to do before vacation, so I treated him. His report card made me chuckle, "Today I was a champion wrestler! I had a particularly fun time with one of my gal-pals who is all white-- we made a beautiful picture together. I got to be a total goofball with my friends. I was pretty interested in humping some of my buddies today, but I am mostly a very sweet friend!" I suppose humping for dog daycare is like hitting for child daycare-- very bad. It's a show of dominance, not sexual, from what I understand. I've watched enough of the Dog Whisperer to know it's not a good sign in normal social dog play. Luckily Balt is young and just needs to learn his boundaries. 

It was a crazy busy day. I had several photo shoots after school today and few more tomorrow. I am making the boys basketball program with a couple of kids in my media class but they won't make the deadline if they do it alone. So I'm getting the bulk of unfinished work in tonight to get it done by tomorrow. It's quite a squeeze--AND I have to do the girls program as well! 
 

Play the game

At 3:30am this morning a very happy dog woke me up ready to go on a walk. Balt has gotten into this crazy schedule (since time change?) of getting up too early. This morning I put him in his crate and got another two hours of sleep. At 5:30am I woke up to get Jessi to basketball tryouts. She loves the game but isn't sure it's the right way to spend her time. She probably should keep swimming in order to get her faster and stronger for state next year with possibilities for bigger opportunities... but that would be mean a private club with lots of extra expense and time outside of the school. I like her staying active and basketball is relatively cheep and easy to deal with because practices are at school, not all over the city. BUT is it the right thing to do? I just don't know. For now, she's trying out. Getting cut would be an easy way to decide what to do, but I don't think that's going to happen. The team isn't that good so quite a few girls that are good athletes in other sports have decided to not to play in order to strengthen their other sports (like what Jessi should probably do!). When I sent her on her way, I told her to have fun. She had nothing to lose. She came home tonight after two try out sessions with aching feet and shin splints... gravity reminding her she's not in the water. I promised her new basketball shoes if she make the team. 

So the students of Memorial stepped up to the challenge and got to class on time for the most part. For the first time in my professional life I saw students RUNNING in the hall to class. The mass round ups were not for large groups of students as some might have predicted. During 3rd hour, the sweep only caught 6 kids. I'm sure 1st hour was the worst with 4th, coming in second, but the data is not in yet.

 

 

Just like riding a bike...

It was PCT Backyard Monday-- quick and somewhat painless. As much as I try to keep my classes in order, they seem slightly out of control all the time. I don't think it's me. I've been blessed with high energy students this semester. It only takes a couple in a class to change the dynamic of the whole experience. I was given a brand new student in my new class today, which just blows me away-- a new kid to deal with on top of just trying to figure out what I'm doing. I roll with the punches because I don't have the energy to make a big deal out of small stuff. I keep thinking things will settle down and now that I'm more than half way through the semester, I am realizing it is what it is. 

I let Jessi stay home to help keep her well. The sniffles and a sore throat started bothering her last night. No suprise given she's coming down a big high. She has 2 days to transition from a water sport to the court. After my yoga class, I showered and took her to school to shoot for 20 minutes. It was the first time she played with a basketball in 3 months. We snuck into the main gym only to find Wesley Matthews in there practicing. I didn't tell her who he was until after we left. I didn't want her weirded out by the fact she was shooting hoops on the same court as an NBA player-- okay, there aren't any basketball players out there actually playing for the NBA currently, but you know what I mean. After a couple of air balls, she started to hit the net... I knew she was going to be okay. She seems to think she might not make the team and I have to admit it's a safe attitude. She can only do her best... it's all any of us can do. 

 

State Swim Meet

I did not take Balt for a walk last night and boy, did I pay for that this morning. I was woken up over and over again wanting to go out to play. An eager Balt had to wait until 8am when I took Jessi to swim practice. I ran over to pick up tickets for the state meet and then took Balt to Picnic Point. Oh, what a happy dog! He ran in utter glee and then once reaching the lake, jumped in and swam. For a mid-November day, it was warm (mid-50's) and autumn colors were beautiful.

I came home and cleaned, did some laundry and made sure Jessi had all the things she needed for her meet. At 1pm, her friends picked her up and I left an hour later to get a seat for the 3pm meet. It was very exciting to see the team rise above expectations and come in 3rd place -- over both Middleton and Verona (the only two teams the girls lost to during the regular season). In the end, just beating Middleton was the sweetest part of the day. Jessi came in14th for her 50, 10th in the state for her 100, 4th in the state for both relays- the 200 and 400. She came home with two medals and cried at the end as she said goodbye to swimming with her fellow senior relay mates. We came home to change and then ran off to the team dinner. Last year she had skipped it, not feeling any where near as connected as she does this year. She's a leader now, an integral part of the team. She has 3 days to switch gears.

 

It was a very good day...

Today was the WIAA Division 1 sectional meet at Middleton. The morning started with my letting Balt out at 5:30am and finding our house had been t.p.'d. The toilet paper glowed in the moon light and swayed in the wind like a good omen of the wonder that was to come. It was Balt's birthday-- another good sign! He found the brownies the girls left for Jessi and celebrated all by himself.

We knew Jessi would qualify for state as part of her relay, as she had done last year, BUT her hope was to quailify as an individual and that she did! Her 50 was good-- 2nd place, but her 100 got her a 1st place automatic state qualification as an individual-- everything she had worked for! The team came in 2nd place (Runner's up) which was a nice jump from 3rd at the conference meet. All the girls had great swims but Jessi was the one the coach gave the runner's up plaque to for the pictures. I was very proud of her.

I dropped her off at home and had just enough time to get to a yoga class. I grabbed a pizza on the way home and watched Thor (2011) by the fire with Erika  -- who didn't like the movie nearly as much as I did and kept leaving. Jessi left to celebrate with friends. It was a realy good day.

Conference Swim and more

This morning I got up with my husband who ran a half marathon today. I got Monika to her soccer tournament, took Balt for a walk, picked up my veggies and then helped Jessi get ready for her conference swim meet. After everyone was gone, I decided to clean and cook instead of doing yoga. I'm not sure it was the right thing to do but if I don't clean, no one else does and I'm not sure I can enjoy sitting in my own house looking at a mess.

Jessi had a great swim. She came in 6th for her 50, 4th in the 100, 1st for her 200 relay and almost 1st for her 400 relay. There was a DQ that wasn't Jessi's fault and didn't matter for team points. They came in 3rd and seemed okay. Monika did well playing soccer (win and tie) and my spouse survived his run (the survivors get medals). All was well with the universe this evening.

Represent

It was Jessi's last dual meet and it was parent night. Because it was against an easily beaten team, Jessi was swimming events she rarely swims. Because I didn't want to miss the time when parents were called up to get flowers from the swimmers and take pictures, I actually got to the meet fairly early and stayed nearly the whole time. This year's pic isn't as great as last years, but it's kind of fun to look at them after three years (I'll save the blog post of all of them together for next year).

The day started early. I made breakfast sandwiches for the swim team this morning. Jessi was happy with my presentation of food. All the moms take turns bringing in food twice a week for the team and while I don't feel the need to necessarily be better then them all, I don't want to embarrass Jessi with something gross. Between the serving of breakfast and the meet this evening, it made for a super long day. I did manage to get in a walk for Balt after school, before the meet. He was super eager to get out and wasn't too thrilled to go back into his crate. I wanted to get a late yoga class in but opted to go to bed early tonight instead. I'll be happier in the morning.

Moving On

The school year is well on the way. My classes are settling in nicely. There's a lot of energy in them-- positive energy. I was told by a couple of seniors today that my class was more difficult than their physics class. I had a very hard time believing that, but I never took physics. Maybe it would have been easy for me!?

Autumn has finally come to Wisconsin in full force and I'm enjoying to slow down as the weather cools. My husband mentions moving up to Minnesota to me weekly and as much as I hate the idea of living north, I am getting used to living in 4 seasons. The change of pace with the change of seasons makes for a more interesting life. 

Tonight both our football and swim teams had matches against Middleton. Both had a lot riding on the meet ups, neither prevailed. While JMM didn't beat Middleton, Jessi did get a PR on her 200 and did pretty darn good on her 100-3rd place but only less than 1/2 a second away from first. She was please with her new coach which is actually the old coach seemed pleased with the results of the meet as a whole. Middleton is most likely the second fastest team in the state, so a very close meet, although a loss means possibly being third in the state. There is still a lot of hope to hang on to dispite the big changes this week. Jess came home in good spirits and that was all that really mattered to me.

Chit, chat, shots, and swings...

I had a nice half day today. As I get to know my students, I enjoy the chit-chat more and more. I missed my afternoon classes to see a podiatrist specialist who had been referred to me for my foot pain. My feet are in constant pain now, just at different intensities as the day progresses. I have been only taking my mega doses of ibuprofen at night so that I can sleep and just deal with the foot pain during the day. I'm not doing all the things I have been told to do, I admit, but I try. Anyway, it was nice to get some straight answers and advise. I won't heal quickly without staying off my feet and I can't stay off my feet. The doctor would like me to take two weeks off yoga, and work on a bike or swim for exercise. Of course, I paid for an all day workshop this weekend, so I'll take off after that. I cannot go bare-footed, ever. He told me to get a pair Birkenstock for the house and wear them to bed (not in bed), and slip them on even to go to the bathroom. I got a pair of orthotics made (insurance will pay) for my other shoes, but until then, he preferred I stayed in Birks. I got two shots of cortozon into my heels but only on the condition that I keep shoes on. I'm not supposed to feel the relief for a couple of days, though. I got x-rays as well and lots of compliments on my pink toe nail polish.

Monika had a match at Middleton. She lost after 3 sets, which was frustrating for her, but her coach was pleased with her performance. I took Balt and walked around the courts catching bits of her games. I had to run out to get bread sticks and milk for Jessi's team potluck but then returned to pick up Monika and go out to dinner (Panera). Then I took Jessi to Target to get footie pajamas for dress up day at school- a boys XL will barely fit. I was happy to get home and finally get off my feet.

Happy the day is done!

Today was the 2nd annual Student Government Leadership Conference. We had hired someone last year to organize and lead the conference with the grant money I had won. This year we modeled it all after last years and I think, made it better, but it was exhausting. Having 6 adults in charge makes it nice to play tag team and share the load. I think the kids had a valuable experience.

Jessi and Monika both participated today in the conference. Monika was part of the leadership who helped run it because she is a class officer, but she had to leave early for tennis so she didn't get to be in the group photo. She's in Milwaukee for the weekend at an invite. Jessi had a swim meet tonight in Verona that she was dreading. Her coach has been working her hard and she knew it would be tough meet to win. They came close but victory was not won, 81-84. Jessi did not swim her best, but she certainly did not swim badly either. She's getting stronger, it's just a painful process. We both came home from the meet beat and ready to put our feet up. I got us a couple of burgers  and a shake for Jessi. She needs the calories, I don't.
 

Back in Blue

The last time Monika was in Regent blue was when she played basketball in 5th grade. It's been a while. She had to leave tennis a bit early to make the game, and then played the whole time. They won 3-0, her best friend, Emily, made all three goals. Monika had quite a few shots on goal, but not a lot of luck. Still it was a good first game with a brand new team with a bunch of girls who had never played together.

My school day was crazy full starting at 5:30am getting Jessi going then taking care of Balt. Our walk this morning was beautiful but very wet. Monika and I got to school a bit early which was really nice. I had hoped to get a lot of work done tonight, but the soccer game sucked the evening up. So I will put off, yet again, work that needs to be done by tomorrow for tomorrow. It's not a good feeling, but my eyes are burning just trying to finish this post.

Thunder and Rain

The morning started with thunder and then the rain came. I didn't get Balt out for much of walk so he was pretty antsy all morning. I went to a morning yoga class and he stayed home and chewed up a trash can. I finally got him out after noon. I am thinking the morning walk is going to have to happen no matter what or else I am in for some destruction. He needs to loose weight, I need to loose weight. It seems like it's just meant to be.

Jessi had a follow up appt to get her sutures out. We found out that the biopsy came out abnormal which is not good news. She'll need to be extra careful in the sun from now on and will need to have annual dermatology exams. It isn't what you expect to hear, but when it was all done I was so glad her doctor had been so careful about it. I thought it was too much only to find it out it that it would have been a bigger problem later.

Luckily the sun came out and dried off all the tennis courts. Monika's meet against East was not cancelled. She and her partner, Megan, are getting better and better as they play more and more together. They continue to win and win. Her team did not do as well, losing to East 2-5. I came home and made dinner, then went out to get ice cream for the girls to celebrate. The three of us watched a Monk episode enjoying chocolate chip... only I didn't deserve it.

Allergies or Empathy?

Balt developed some weird pimple-like bumps on his nose yesterday (one near his eye) and I immediately thought he was taking on some of my stress. Maybe adolescent dogs get acne? It made me think of the scene in 101 Dalmatians where the dogs look like their owners (or vise versa)-- see below! So, I ran him over to my vet, who is a long time acquaintance of mine and asked what she thought. She prescribed some benedryl, assuming he got his nose into something that was upsetting his system. He won't let me pick at them, which is probably really good. If I didn't pick my own, they'd look a lot better on me. His pimples seem a little better today... but I'm still not sure what they are (they better not be warts!).

Monika got her wish and got to play in the soccer tournament today. She played so well with the white team that they ended up going to the finals and the ride she had, couldn't stay so I had to drive up to Fond du Lac to pick her up from the afternoon championship game. I got there right at the half and got to watch them go from 0-2 to 3-2. It was pretty exciting. Monika was then asked to play with the team for all of their tournaments. She was pretty pleased to get a medal for tennis yesterday and a trophy today for soccer. It was quite the weekend despite her flare up of allergies.