Let The Summer In

Summer started today. Well, yesterday for the kids, but Loriann and I had to go in today to finish cleaning up our rooms, filing papers, putting grades on exams for report cards, and signing out on the 2010/11 school year. But when I walked out at quarter-to-four, I walked out into a gorgeous afternoon and the knowledge that I needn't walk back into the school until August, except to feed the fish.

And what a school year it was: in some ways (professionally) the hardest year ever, but in the ways that matter, one of the finest. The kids did great in school, plain and simple. If I took all the grades from all the report cards Tucker, Emma, and Peyton received and used the letters to spell a word, that word would be something like AAABAAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA

Now that's a word!

But back to the first day of summer: Tristan had a t-ball game tonight, Peyton played Little League in Kzoo, Tucker had summer basketball practice from 6-8 p.m., so we all met for a late dinner at Steak-N-Shake. Really, it was a ploy: give the kids a shake on the first day of summer, and we can get them to agree to anything.

Here's what was decided:

1) we all committed to reading one book per week this summer;
2) we all agreed to taking turns writing a blog entry, one per day, all summer. This is blog entry #1. This should be fun, and interesting. We kicked a few names around for the blog, and the name Bucket of Chicken was my favorite, but then Tucker said "there's something on your face," and as I was wiping my face off with a napkin, the rest of the family was laughing at me, agreeing it was the perfect name for this blog. So, they win. At least there's nothing on my face.
3) we all agreed to have a great summer;

Brad, Dorothy Jean, and the original Jean, Jean Ann, my mum, all came up to Gobles today to cheer me on as I was awarded one of the awards for Gobles teacher of the year (TOY, for short) today. It was pretty cool, but I admitted to the audience that most days I'm not even teacher of the year in my own house. It was quite an honor, nonetheless.

Loriann was given a certificate of recognition for fifteen years of service to our district, so that was cool. She was also given a brooch from the superintendent in the shape of a paw print, bedazzled with bling. The superintendent will be leaving Gobles in a few weeks, and I guess she doesn't anticipate needing a paw print brooch. But Loriann puts both paw prints AND bling bling to good use, so there's that. I was given nothing, not that I'm complaining. I plan to be really hard to live with during my reign as a TOY.

I'm not sure who'll be blogging tomorrow, but it won't be me. I'll be burning the day, hopefully like Tristan managed to do again today, like almost every day.

See, a short while ago I carried Tristan up to bed. He had fallen asleep in the van on the way home from Steak-N-Shake. He was exhausted. The kid lives hard, but well. Anyhow, I dropped him into his bed, untied and removed his shoes, dusted a layer of dirt and pebbles from where his shoes were on the bed, and looked him over. He's so precious when he sleeps. His knees are dirty from the day, his face had a little food on it, his mouth formed into a mischevious half-grin as he drifted into dreamland, his fist clutching an alphabet blankie. That's how I want my summer to look.

Let it begin!

Corey