teach.run.pray.

"Just think of all the good times. That is what we have to do. Our family has been through more than most. There has to be some kind of reason. You have been right by my side through it all. Thank you for being so strong. Do not tear up today. Be happy. You deserve it." Those are the words my mom sent me yesterday when I told her I was having an emotional morning. The truth was I had been having an emotional two days. My heart hurt. I missed my dad. I missed my brother almost more than I could bear. My heart thirsted for a hug from Miles and his laugh. I couldn't stop thinking about what Christmas would be like with him. I imagined him married with kids and acting crazy and foolish like he always did. I imagined him and Matt hanging out and having some holiday spirits together. I imagined us giving Kaitlan a hard time about her hoodie dress and spray tan. I imagined mom playing with her grandkids. I imagined Paige being home and not so far away on Christmas. My heart ju...

A few weeks ago I was home putting up our Christmas tree and completing chores around the house when I started thinking about people who decorate their tree with themes. A few years back we went to a Christmas party and the host had at least four different Christmas trees. Each tree had a theme. There was an Elvis tree, a Marilyn Monroe tree, a Santa tree, and several others. These thoughts led my brain to people who go to holiday fairs and tree festivals. Those thoughts led me to, "How cool would it be if my students could decorate trees using books as the theme?" So, I picked up my phone, texted my fellow ELA co-worker, threw out the idea, and the rest is history. Fifth graders at Palmetto Elementary were going to create trees for the fifth grade Festival of Trees. And, it just so happened we started our theme unit the week we returned from Thanksgiving break. Here's what we did. I'm all about integrating standards and figuring out ways to weave standar...

The Friday morning following Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to wake up oceanside at Folly Beach. My husband's family, well most of the family, made a trip to Folly for Thanksgiving this year. It was something really magical and special for so many reasons. My sister-in-law also made the trip. Jenny has POTS ( Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome ), Ehler's Danlos syndrome, and a wealth of other health concerns, so traveling anywhere outside of her home is tricky. But, she's been working so hard and by God's love and grace, she made it to and from Folly Beach without an ER visit. So, that all in of itself was magical.  Back to waking up Friday morning. I decided to go for a run. I haven't been running regularly or really even exercising regularly for over a month now. Physical exercise has really been putting my back and hips into some pain, and I've been struggling with fatigue. I blame it on the endometriosis. But, anyway, I woke up that Friday morning...