Congratulations to Rick's dad, Rick Sr., who completed his last day of paid work today. He has officially retired from the city garage in Newport, and he seems to be very happy about this decision. The van is packed and ready to roll. We wish Rick and Jean a terrific trip to Florida. We are sincerely hoping they will return with some sunshine in a few weeks.
Those of you who teach with us know how significant it is that the fourth quarter has just started. We are in the home stretch. Given that we learned about Katie's illness two days after the third quarter opened, it would be safe to say that this has been a long semester thus far. Rick is posting grades as we speak. I finished mine at school this afternoon. While this is more a basic requirement than a major achievement, I'm proud of us for turning in grades on time. We continue to follow the rhythm of the school year. I have always been in school--literally--and its routines are comforting. I had my post evaluation conference today, and that was fine. I wrote an IPDP so I could renew my license. I'm gearing up to teach a new class next year. I love my job. I have never been so torn between work and family, though, as I have since Katie became sick. She was crying when we left the house this morning, and I felt like a failure. I had such a hard time leaving. I knew that both Katie and my mom would be fine--they had another really great day together--but it was difficult to walk away. I made Rick call home at lunch because I didn't want to hear Katie fussing in the background. I am such a wimp. As it turns out, however, Katie and Grandma were having a grand old time. They watched Dora movies, they read Dora stories, they ate and ate and ate...Katie splurged this morning and treated Grandma to an unsolicited statement of her affection: "I love you, Grandma." Thanks to Grandma Kathy, we can continue to manage the competing demands of our lives even when I am torn in different directions.
We had lots of help from friends at school today, too. They conspired to fill the refrigerator. Katie was interested in the meatloaf, the potato casserole, the stuffed shells and the apple pie, so we heated it all up, and this made for quite a dinner. (Frozen broccoli was my only contribution!) Neither of us has lost any weight, I might add...
Katie continues to find mornings difficult. Her sleep schedule is off by two or three hours, and she generally feels lousy until the Zofran kicks in. Once it takes the edge off her nausea, Katie is in better spirits and ready to play. She is really interested in costumes these days. She wears Dora sandals with socks, and she has a new interest in hats. This makes for some quirky ensembles. Josh is a sharp dressed man on his way out the door in his uniform, but Katie could use some fashion help. While it is hard to imagine that she will ever wear a skirt without lifting it to show off her derriere, I do look forward to sending her out into the world in a uniform, too. If only I could wear a uniform to school...
Peanut Girl has a dry cough that makes sleep difficult, and she is hacking on the keyboard as I type. I'm off to find a solution to this nagging little problem. Good night, all. Thanks for listening.
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