Passion

For years I used to wonder what I was passionate about...
It seems in the last few years I don't wonder about that anymore...
It took me a long time to find my passions, my directions...

When I did, I realized that they had been with me from the beginning I just didn't recognize it...

One of my passions is books...
Lovely books, that take you anywhere in the world you want to go...
teach you anything you want to know...
Show you different perspectives...

Real, honest books...
I don't get the kindle, nook, etc craze...
I mean I do, if I traveled every week and flew everywhere maybe I would want one then...
But I really wouldn't want another expensive electronic to keep track of...my camera is enough!
And I also hate, how electronic gadgets are always obsolete after 6 months...

My books just get better every year...
I love to dog-ear them, high-light, underline,write in...
I love the feel of a book...
I love a book that looks well read...

There are books that I do not love...

Sometimes, I grit my teeth and read a book because "its a classic" and I want to be part of that club...
Thankfully that only happens once in awhile...
Most of the time I come away from a book feeling like I have learned something(s) and that is always a good feeling.

And I love, love, the way they look on my bookshelves...
I was thrilled when we picked up two more shelves at IKEA yesterday...

My lovely husband got right down to business and had them up in no time...
My family room is now officially the "library"  :)

I'm not sure where this passion came from...
I was just born with it...

They look a bit sparse...
But I will enjoy filling them up!

One of the best ways to fill them up is being part of a book club...

These are my book club books...

I know there is one missing...maybe two...
There are so many things about book club I love,
the friends,
the food,
and of course the books.

We always leave book club with a new book.
This week our book was wrapped in really cool "FLS" paper (the name of our club)  Nice touch Tanna!

So I will be looking for time this week to continue "nesting" in my library...


Frychik

WIAA has been prepared for Columbia Adventist | The Columbian

WIAA has been prepared for Columbia Adventist The Columbian

Very proud of our teams!  How exciting for our little school!

1B basketball: Columbia Adventist boys get first state tournament win | The Columbian

1B basketball: Columbia Adventist boys get first state tournament win The Columbian

Superstitious

Are you superstitious?

I am...

In some things

I have no problem opening an umbrella indoors...
I don't knock on wood for good luck
and while tossing salt over the shoulder is fun...I don't its messy

But there are some things I tend to be superstitious about...

but only because it always seems to happen.

Deaths always seem to come in 3s

This week there have been 3

Thankfully and selfishly, they weren't close to me

but I had some distant connection...

After I learned of the 2nd one I knew there would be a third..

I hate that

In less serious areas

In volleyball I won't look at the server on my team while they are serving

I'm convinced if I look they will miss the serve...

If I'm on a winning streak in a table game I always sit in the same place

deal the same way...

There are other ways...

It just comes from experience

I'm proven wrong from time to time...

How about you?  Do you have any superstitions?

Frychik

Finally!

This is proof that if you whine enough it will happen...

And it's still snowing!

They say we should get another 3 inches...

No school!!!

Happy snow day :)

Frychik

I really want to believe!

Two hour late start because...
Well, I'm not sure why...

This is a confusing time...
Daffodils are coming up

and now this....

I guess the people that make these calls got suckered into the weathermen...
Depending on who you listen to we are expecting
2-8" of snow
2-6" of snow
2-4" of snow
2" of snow...
nothing....
Today, this afternoon, or over night
and more tomorrow...maybe

Yesterday I saw some snow flakes and nobody predicted it...

The weatherman I choose to listen to said last night "historic".  I hadn't heard him use that word before and
I decided maybe, just maybe he was right...
I can't help it! I want to believe them!

Seattle had snow last night...
This morning I heard a weatherman say SF was expecting snow in downtown on Fri...

What I really, really, don't like about these situations is that I really, really, don't like it when someone tells me something that I would like, is gonna happen, and then it doesn't...

I guess I don't hand disappointment well....

We shall see...




2008

Frychik

PS It's snowing!  7:45 am

P.S.S. It stopped... 7:47 am

?????????????



Kodiak Attack!

I'm a believer in school sports...

Yes, it takes...
Valuable study time...
Time away from classes...
Money...

But, it also gives...
Self-esteem,
life long habit of physical exercise,
the opportunity to represent your school in areas that have never heard of you...
the chance to operate under pressure,
learning to work with a team, to be part of a team...

When I went to school, just a few years back..
we weren't allowed to play other schools...
we weren't allowed to be "competitive"

I was an athlete and honestly, it was the one area of my life I felt some
self-confidence in...
I would have LOVED to have had the opportunity our kids are having right now!

If you don't know, the Kodiaks, CAA's girls and boys bball teams, are marching up the ladder to the State finals...
Last night the boys won again making them District Champions!
The girls in a heart breaker, lost by 1. They are in 2nd place...
They are both headed to State...

CAA has never had bball teams compete at this level...
its very exciting for our little school...

However, it has been said, that people will accuse us of only caring about sports...
of becoming a "sports school"
Get over it people...(not you few who read my blog, but those other "people")
we are many things,
we have a school full of diverse talents and many opportunities

But most of all, we are school full of spirited, energetic, multi-talented, Christian kids!

Go Kodiaks!

Frychik

Goodbye House-husband

This week has been crazy...
And I've had Jeff's help
What in the world am I gonna do when he leaves me next week?

That's the problem with being spoiled
it never lasts long enough :p

This week we have had basketball games 2 nights
skiing one day

Talent Show tryouts two days after school
One night of practicing with the lady Kodiaks (help I'm having a heart attack!)
Indoor Soccer one night (just driving and cheering thankfully)
3 days of teaching, grading, prepping (yes, part time is nice)

Ty's guitar lesson in Portland (Jeff took him, thanks Babe)
1 day of going in on my "day off" to deliver hand decorated cookies for Vday

They were yummy!

Today, Josh has an eye appointment and he's leaving for Big Lake for the weekend
Ty has a birthday party this weekend
I'm telling the children's story - don't know what I'm doing yet...better figure that out!
Jeff is teaching as usual and leading tours of the free health clinic he has helped establish (proud of him!)
Sat night we are kid less and may drive north an hour or so to cheer the Kodiaks on as they continue down the playoff road...

I'm really enjoying teaching at Columbia...

I enjoy the kids so much...

I'm excited because next week is Academy Day and Tyler will be there!  Hard to believe!

I'm excited that Jeff is going back to work, but it will be an adjustment...

It was an adjustment to get use to having him around so much...

and now its gonna be weird that he will be gone so much...

Have a great weekend!

Frychik



The end of an era....

For the past 6 years I have had the opportunity to be with my boys on Winter Sports Days...
Which means for the past 6 years I have been driving up to Meadows to ski for 5 Wednesdays during Winter quarter...
Yes, sometimes there are perks to being a parent with a P/T job or no job....

This year, Jeff was also able to go every time which made it especially fun.

Yesterday I decided to take some pics to document the routine we have developed over the years...

First we leave early...

6:45 am

This is the hardest part

Then we stop at Burger King and drop off the boys for a carbo load...

Then we drive across the street and get our own nourishment

I love my Chai before a day of skiing!

We always have a car load up to the mountain...

The roads have been easy this year!  I've never had much trouble...

The boys gearing up...

We have had "bluebird" conditions each week.  Yesterday we had powder :)

This is the area I have sat at for lunch for the past 6 years...

I like a room with a view!

As fast as we can we get out there and make first tracks...

Always my favorite part of the day...

I was really thankful I didn't drop my camera since we are on a chairlift...

The snow was perfect!

It would snow and then the sun would peak out and then snow again...

In 6 years of skiing neither of my boys ever had a serious injury for which I'm thankful...

I was hit by a boarder and back boarded off the mountain a few years ago

Jeff landed on his head and knocked himself out and was crazy for about 24 hrs...

Jeff now has an excuse every time he messes up...he tells me he had a head injury and he can't help it...

Bottom line, it has been an awesome experience and I will miss it!

Then I left me camera in my pocket and forgot to document the journey home...

On the last ski day there is always a stop at Dairy Queen.

On every other ski day we always stop at the Taco Bell in Sandy...

The boys are starving and I don't want to cook after a day of skiing (well, I don't ever really WANT to cook)

Then we are usually home by 7...

Last night we made it in time to see the Guy Kodiaks win again!  They are undefeated and we are very proud of them as they move up in their league...If things go well for both our guys and girls teams in Centralia this weekend they will be headed to the State Playoffs in Spokane first weekend of March!

Oh, and I have to mention the fact that it snowed about 2 inches at my house yesterday...

at least that is what I was told since I wasn't here to see it and it was all gone by the time I got back...

People say they were the biggest flakes they have ever seen....

sigh...

Frychik

War or Peace?

Yesterday we did a WWI simulation in class

The kids did great!

They stayed focused...

They were divided up into 6 different nations...

There were alliances...

There were territory disputes...

Negotiations...

Treaties...

Promises...

Would it result in war or peace???

I never know, it's different with every class I have ever done this with...

They each make a flag for their country...

This is "Penland"...

LOL!  Such a fierce flag! ;p

It seemed peace would prevail....

But alas...

One nation did not cooperate and war was declared...

Better luck next year ;)

Frychik

Observations and missed observations...

So, yesterday there were 3 earthquakes centered  about 45 miles from my home.  They were up near Mt. St. Helens our friendly active volcano...
The strongest was a 4.3...
My mom felt it, she lives approximately 30 miles south of me...
I did not feel it.

Why?  I don't know, I was here...
In fact I was on a stage at school trying to play name that tune...
Something I should never do...

I have said before that I would like to feel an earthquake one day...
a nice gentle one...
one where there is no death or destruction, just the experience of shaking...

I've been in probably 5 earthquakes in my life...
I haven't been aware of any of them...

But what I did observe today was my husband doing laundry shirtless again!
Yes, it's true
It was the perfect Valentine for me :)

He was enjoying it more because he knows that next Monday he will be safely at work, far away from laundry and dirty bathrooms :)

I have also noticed some early signs of spring...

The mountains are getting lots of snow...
But my bulbs are poking through the muddy soil...
Once that happens I'm done with winter...
I LOVE it when my flowers come up!

So to sum up...
I didn't notice the earthquake
I did notice shirtless guy folding laundry
I did notice spring

A pretty good day I think :)

Frychik