"Even when the rainbow seems to pass right by me....I'm still finding Gold in the clouds....."

07 September 2018

September Faves

 
Well, today was only the third day of school for my little students and so far things are going fairly well.  We are supposed to have 12 special needs 3-5 year olds in our room but we are starting the new year out with 11.  Everyone but one has had perfect attendance so far and our 4 new kiddoes are starting to learn the classroom routines.  I have my own language/cognition group again and am busy setting up that room to greet my 5 students (out of the 11) on Monday.

For now, I'm pausing to look back at this week and reflect on the goodness and many gifts from God.

To join in, simply click on this link where Susanne has all the guidelines for the weekly FFF.

FIVE FAVES

bridge over the pond is fixed!

the Chimney is all that remains from the old Observer's Cabin
near the summit 
Gerri and me
Summit of Poke-A-Moonshine Mt
Northeastern Adirondacks
2 Sept 





Poke-a-Moonshine Mt firetower

  • REPEAT HIKE:  My friend Gerri is working on the ADK FireTower Challenge which I completed in 2015.  I offered to go with her up this mountain. OMGOSH it's one of my faves...a steep trail but the work out is just great and the summit is spectacular.  It's not a high peak as it's only 2180 feet in elevation. But it's 2.3 miles one way which is a nice morning hike.  The weather was sunny but a tad bit humid so going up was a little slow for us. But it felt SO good on the summit with the constant wind.  I was actually chilly which is why I was wearing a sweatshirt. After the hike, we enjoyed a late lunch at a local diner known to hikers and the village folk in Schroon Lake Village. This was my 2nd time hiking this mountain and I just may go back again some day.  Definitely a fave and a great way to spend a Saturday.

Dave in his kayak
4 Sept/Labor Day
  • DATE DAY!   Monday was a holiday (Labor Day) here in the USA and my husband and I woke up early, had breakfast, and got up to the lake by 9:30 to do a couple of hours of kayaking. It was so peaceful and although it was hot and humid, the lake water felt great and  there were hardly any other kayakers on the lake that early. After taking a dip in the lake from the beach and then kayaking back to the boat launch and our locks, we decided to be done. We left around noon and ate lunch at a local sub shop and then relaxed the rest of the afternoon at home, reading and watching movies....a fave way to end Labor Day.
My front flower garden

  • A BLOOM!  The dahlia bulbs my younger sister Hope gave me last spring are finally starting to bloom!  I noticed this one over the weekend and Hope was not kidding that they wouldn't likely bloom until early September. She said they should keep on blooming until close to Thanksgiving which is nice as my phlox is just about done and obviously the tulips have been long gone.  My rose bushes are doing pretty well and likely will keep blooming until about October's end, unless we have a mild autumn in which case I've often seen blooms until Thanksgiving week.  It's nice to have this spot of color among all the green.  My other dahlia plants are JUST starting to bud so hopefully more blooms will come out early next week.  Flowers in the yard are a fave of mine........


 
Claire, 2nd from right
in the UNH Ballet Company show
March 2018
  • SHE'S IN!  So Claire informed us a couple weeks before her classes began, that she'd have to audition again for the UNH Dance Company.  We thought once you're in, you're in.  But nope....so auditions were last week and she said they were long and difficult.  There were many people who tried out.  BUT...she texted us over the weekend and said she made it again!  YAY!  Def a fave!!  The show is in the end of March....something to really look forward to.  She'll be so busy as rehearsals are for 3 hours, 2 evenings a week each semester.  But she loves it and it's a good thing to keep up on after all these years of pointe, etc.  We're wicked proud of her.
from some awesome parents of some awesome students


  • ROUTINE!  So we all went back to work on Tuesday and although it was a very busy day getting the classroom ready and attending meetings, the room is all cleaned and organized and we greeted our 11 students on Wednesday and had a wonderful day getting to know the 4 new ones and the 7 returning ones. It's a fave with me when we get back to the routine after a couple of weeks of rest and relaxation. I love my teaching schedule! and the really cool thing is that the parents of the twins we have had since last September, gave all of us in the classroom a bar of dark chocolate.  They sure know what a teacher likes :)

That wraps up my faves list.

How about you?  what made you smile this week and say THANK YOU to our amazing God??




8 comments:

Dianna said...

Such a wonderful week of blessings for you. I'm so glad that things are going well with the new students, as well as with the seven that you've had before. I think it takes such a special person to work with special needs children. I can easily see why it is that you love your teaching schedule because you are one of those special people.

Yay for Claire! I'm so happy for her. I'm glad that she can continue on and be able to keep up with all that she worked so hard to gain.

I'm glad you had time with your friend Gerri hiking that mountain! And then to have the time with Dave with your kayaks really was special too.

Have a wonderful weekend, Faith!

Wendy said...

Congratulations to Claire. You must be very proud. Nice to still have blooms in the garden and date days are always welcome Hope the new school year continues to go well. Chocolate is always good but especially when it shows appreciation. Have a good weekend.

Barbara H. said...

I'm so glad the school year is starting off so well! And that you had a nice hike with your friend and date time with your husband. The dahlia is so pretty! I need to do some cutting back of old blooms so hopefully what we have will keep coming back for a while. We often have something still in bloom until the first freeze.

What a nice gift from your student's parents!

Congratulations to Claire for making it into the ballet again!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Oh my it sounds like you will have a very busy classroom! We have one little girl who has some type of special needs but because we are a family care center and she isn't three yet we don't have a diagnosis and likely, will not get one. She has been given special permission to stay in my class till November when she turns 3. Normally they leave for preschool at 2.9. She would not be able to handle the routines of preschool and cannot enter the public school here till she turns 3. She is pleasant and really a joy to have in class though and though she does require some extra work and can be a handful at nap time I don't mind having her. Everyone is on their own journey and if I am able to be a helpful part of her's it is my pleasure. I love your dahlias they are a pretty colour.

susan said...

How fun that you got to hike and kayak last weekend and with special people. After you explained what you do for your health (at my blog), I understand how you are able to do such things so consistently. I want to add weights and flexibility exercises to my regime. As I've said before, you are an inspiration.

I didn't realize you had so many little ones in your classroom. How nice to get started on cementing the schedule. I chafe against a regular schedule, but having said that, I do better when I follow one. How lovely to connect so well with parents. And dark chocolate is a tasty and appreciated bonus.

Congrats to your Ballerina. That is quite a practice schedule.

I love flowers in the garden, too. Your dahlia is gorgeous. And what a nice treat that there are more buds to come.

Have a great week.

Gattina said...

After my travel around the European Northern countries it was hard to get back to daily routine ! Especially when you are retired and don't like to stay at home all day !!

Susanne said...

Hiking and Kayaking in the same week...how nice to get out and enjoy these nice days. Congrats to Claire on making the dance team again. How sweet that one of your families left that encouraging note and sweet treat for you.

Willow said...

Ooo! Dark chocolate! Yum! Lucky you!
Congrats to Claire on getting into the dance company again. That is a great accomplishment!
The hike looks wonderful! It is starting to cool down here enough that I will be willing to hike soon. Here we don't have shade trees to protect from the sun on our hikes, so it just gets too hot for me.
Have a great week!