Teri Parris Ford's Blog

My Dad's Birthday

Today my dad would have been 78 years old. He died 4 years ago and I think about him a lot, maybe more now than I did when he was alive. I miss him a lot. Last week my Yukon was barely squeaking every so often. It was one of those things that would gotten me to call him and have a long discussion. I knew how the conversation would go but wasn't sure exactly what he would have told me to do. I called a mechanic instead and paid him $800 for new brakes. 

I feel like I am way too young to be without parents already. It's weird that both Jim and I are in the same situation. Now that we don't have parents to worry about, all we have is our children to dote on. Although there are plenty of other things to worry about in life-- climate change, rising prices and our health!

Summer Project 2 (Week 2)

I made my first t-shirt quilt about 8 years ago after Jessi graduated. Since then I've done several more (here's a picture of Monika's) and each one is very different and quite unique. My approach to a t-shirt quilt is somewhat organic -- I am not looking for perfection. I'm inspired by a crazy quilt my grandma Parris made when I was a little girl using scraps from old clothes. Anyway, a while ago I noticed that Josh had unloaded a pile of old t-shirts on a shelf near my stuff. I took it home and set the pile a side. Year after year, I think Josh would only wear school shirts once, on the day they were handed out and we were all made to wear them for a photo and then he would set them aside. Eventually he would either ask me if I wanted them or I would see them cast out of his office near my stuff and take them. I finally realized I almost had enough for a quilt. I ended up short about 6 shirts, so I filled in some space with blank t-shirt bits. I have no idea if Josh will like it but they are all his t-shirts! I used a grey fleece backing, so it's very warm for the winter.

Other than sewing, I went to yoga everyday. I got new brakes for my Yukon and I've been re-watching Downton Abby. It's been a very relaxing summer break so far!

Summer Project 1 (Week 1)

I eased into summer mode this week with a small project to transform my stairs from carpet covered to wood. Eventually I'll be replacing all the floors upstairs but Jim would like me to wait until he moves out and with Monika moving in in the fall, I'll wait to have her here to help. But with him working at Ft. McCoy this week, I decided to use the time to accomplish something. I spent one day removing the carpet and cleaning the steps. I went to Menards to figure out what my options were. I knew that replacing the steps (which was what I did to the basement steps) would be difficult without help. Menards had oak kits made to cover steps that were a lot cheaper (since they were so much thinner) which was just what I needed. I used a Gorilla glue adhesive with a couple of flooring nails to secure the steps and topped the wood off with a clear poly coat. I had originally thought about painting the risers white and staining the tops (like I did with Jessi's stairs) but decided to hold off since I'm still not sure what flooring I'm going to go with upstairs. The whole project cost less than $500. Replacing my basement steps with pine several years ago cost nearly twice that.

The whole project did not take as much time as I expected and offered me plenty of time for yoga and swimming this week. Luckily the weather cooled off a bit so I could turn off the air conditioner while Jim was gone. I am hoping to accomplish 1 project each week this summer (10 total). We'll see how that plan goes.

 

It's not just Flag Day

Today is my mom's 74th birthday. Last year I drove straight out to her house after school got out to make it for her birthday. She thought she was 74 and couldn't believe it when I insisted she was only 73. We had to do the math several times. I had a good summer with her but I missed out on interviewing her on video. I had wanted to get several interviews on several topics but put it off every summer and assumed I'd be able to do it whenever. By the time I got around to setting it up last summer, she could not remember enough to answer most of my questions and I realized I had waited too long and gave up rather than push her to frustration. Most of the questions I wanted to ask her was about stuff I knew about but just wanted her to talk about on video. She used to be so chatty-- I had decades to get those videos made and never did. The weird thing was I had hints that her memory was fading since she would often ask me the same questions every time I called but I had no idea she had forgotten so much of her past-- not just details but general information like what she did for a living. 

Every summer for the past few decades, I spent time with my parents and after my dad died, I spent the whole summer with my mom. Today is the first day of my summer vacation and I feel a bit lost. I realize this year marks a significant transition in my life. Instead of visiting my parents, my vacations are now about visiting my children. I spent my first day going to an early morning yoga class, hanging artwork at school, making stir fry for lunch and going out for cookies with Jim. It was a good first day, but I am missing my California excursions.

Graduation Times Two

For social distancing reasons, we had two graduations which allowed for twice the student speakers but meant spending most of the day helping out with ceremonies. Admin asked if I would create a photo booth for families to take photos. I needed to have a tent set up for shade and was able to use all the balloons from the senior party photo booth. It worked out great. I stood around letting parents know that I could take the photo with their phones or cameras so that the whole family could be in the photo. It was a great idea! I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Because of the heat, the district decided to make mask wearing optional so hardly anyone was wearing a mask. It was the first time I was able to get photos with kids without masks on and not get into any trouble (I posted a bunch on instagram!!). I came home from the day over heated and exhausted, eager to put my feet up and enjoy some air conditioning.

The Last Day of School!

Finally! What a school year... it was crazy. Today after grading and cleaning up, seniors came back for one last hurrah. There was food and games and music and I was in charge of the photo booth. I was not there to be in the photos but when two of my yearbook powerhouses came by, I wanted to remember them and asked for a photo. I feel so privileged to get to know some students because they are so talented, so smart, so fun to have in a classroom and these were a couple of those special kids. While were out there, Joe came out to say hello and asked to take a photo too. It had been awhile since the two of us took a photo together (here's one of my favorites).

Tomorrow we still have one last morning staff meeting and then I've invited the department over for brunch out on my patio. After that, I'm planning to go to the pool to kick off my summer! I know I'm not as exhausted as most teachers, but this year has been nuts with so many changes and so much work. I'm really hoping after a tame summer, we'll be back next with things feeling back to normal.

It's Hot!

We've had a heat wave all week and boy, am I glad to have the pool open this summer! I'm also glad to have air conditioning both at work and at home. Jim was gone all weekend, so I spend my mornings at the pool and my afternoons cool at home. I had time to go during my lunch hour yesterday but was too busy today and I needed a break since my shoulders are so sore! The heat has been kind of nice. I've been wearing shorts to work and enjoying the warm early mornings outside with Balt. It certainly feels like summer but there's still a bit of work to do. I'm helping with senior celebrations and still have my grades to post. Graduation is on Saturday and then I'm off for two weeks. I've got a week of PD at the end of June which will help financially so no complaints. 

...and it's June.

Yesterday was the last day of regular classes. Instead of finals, we now have bridge week for kids who are behind. I had planned to go to the pool during my lunch for laps and the girls joined me but stayed the afternoon while I had to go back to work. I have a week and half left but the rest of the time is pretty low key and low stress. Monika had to go back to Michigan to finish her summer there and won't be back home until she moves back in the fall. I am sure we will get at least one visit to her this summer. Erika is enjoying a lot of freedom working part time. Jessi just got a promotion as a Navy Lieutenant and we are hoping to visit next month to celebrate and build her a patio with a BBQ. This summer is all about fun and sun with the hope of losing pandemic weight! I'm a little bit at a loss at how little I "HAVE" to do this summer-- with little to no responsiblities hanging over but there is always a lot I CAN do! Still it feels strange. 

<<Note: Jessi is the only woman in her unit getting promoted. She explained that in the room were a lot wives with their babies! Jim and I are SO PROUD of her!