looking ahead...

I don't think it's really hit me that today's really the last day of the SI. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like not having this community to come to every day for knowledge exchange, laughter, support, and the occasional bit of stress thrown in there. I'm pretty sure we'll all suffer from withdrawal. I can't even put words on how this summer's institute has changed me. I'm scared to even go there because I think I will most likely cry if I start writing about it. I do know that BWP has revived my spirit and my teaching heart and made me excited about teaching again. I'm looking ahead in eager expectation of how my teaching will change once I'm back in the classroom. I'm also thinking of ways that I might fit into the puzzle of BWP post institute, even if I remain job-less this year. : ) While I know that I've learned so much, sometimes I wonder how much more I would have absorbed if I weren't going through so much personal CRAP. (yes, Donna... CRAP!) I wish I could have a re-do of this summer so I can just learn more and more! Well, I really wish that I could do the Summer Institute every summer for the rest of my life! I don't think I could ever get enough! (Ok, well maybe three and a half weeks separated by a school year is just right... the thought of doing the SI continuously with no break kinda freaks me out. Overload!) So, enough with the stuff that makes me teary eyed.

Looking Ahead – My Post-BWP To-Do List:

• Sleep… lots of pure, uninterrupted sleep between cool, 1000 thread count sheets in a perfect, 68° controlled environment. Bliss, pure bliss.
• Read… Currently perched on my nightstand and waiting to be cracked open: The Convenient Groom, Take 2 (Above the Line Series) by Karen Kingsbury, My Sister’s Keeper, The Shopaholic Series, and True Colors. Yay for reading!
• And while we're on the topic of reading, I want to start reading and re-reading classics that I've never read or want to read again. The Scarlet Letter, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby, some Faulkner, Of Mice and Men.... and who knows what else! I'm open for suggestions...
• Find (or make my own) awesome 4th of July plans… crap, is that really this Saturday?
• Clean my disgustingly dirty and ridiculously messy house.
• Pay bills.
• Catch up on movies that I haven’t rented and watched.
• FIND A JOB!
• Buy some new clothes – the SI has shown me how little I have to choose from in my closet.
• Get my car’s air conditioning fixed. $600 - $800 dollars. My car’s not worth much more than that. (Seriously, Lord? Do I really have to? Can’t you just drop a new car in my parking spot???)
• Move the contents of my classroom to a storage unit.
• Spend some time with my family... I've totally neglected them during BWP. The other day, my mom said "I have barely even talked to you over the past few weeks. I miss you." And it almost made me cry. You see, normally we talk every day... for at least 30 minutes. I missed Father's Day. I need to get home and love on my Daddy some. I may even let him convince me to help with the farm somehow so we can have some daddy-daughter time.
• Figure out what I'm wearing to Arthur and Erin's wedding... the one summer wedding I'm actually going to make it to. Yay for good friends, love, and marriage.
• Figuring out why my back feels like a million knives are sticking in it. Gah! WebMD.com, here I come! (I think I should write an Ode to WebMD... and self-diagnosis... which is my favorite thing!)
• Get a massage... a full hour massage! And a pedicure! Ooooo! Yeah!