I Said. I Say. I Know.

I cannot wait til I'm done with college, I said.
I will never work in education, I said. 
I will be a career, suit-wearing woman, I said. 
I will never work with students, I said. 
Soccer mom, yes; recess, no thanks, I said.
I will never teach, I said. 

Cannot, will not, never, no thanks. 
Can do, will do, always, yes please. 

Started college, been on a campus ever since, I say.
Higher education defines my life, I say.
A non-suit-wearing career is best, I say. 
Love working with students every day, I say. 
Soccer mom, not quite; recess and play days, please, I say. 
We all teach every day, I say. 

Can do, will do, always, yes please. 
Cannot, will not, never, no thanks. 

Not leaving campus life anytime soon, I know.
My education and learning will never end, I know. 
The importance of my career is not defined by garb, I know.
I will never be without 'students,' I know. 
Time will tell, I know.
He will not fail me and will guide me, I know. 

A Mixed Bag of Blessings and Reliving the Good 'ol Days

Find a career you're passionate about and that you love. Do this and they say you'll never work a day in your life. I'm all about filling my day with work I'm passionate about, but (despite what some students might think) I'm just as much or more about having fun. Today's work fun was a trip down memory lane... 

It's not atypical that I take college student-athletes to visit elementary schools for assemblies, classroom reading visits, play days and literacy events. Today, as is true of every month, I took a group of students to an awards lunch for students that met their reading goals. The difference today... it was snowing. So, of course, I had to wear my snow boots with my dress pants, which per the fashion assessment by the college students was NOT the best look. After lunch, we proceeded to the playground like normal. By the end of recess, I was running around in the snowfall playing tag with the elementary students and student-athletes. How often does someone with an office job get to return to lunch recess to play tag in the snow after they graduate 5th grade?! "Never" might be a better response than "not often." Today was not only a trip down memory lane, but fun. Laughing at each other, with each other and at ourselves. It was one for the books. 

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Some days I wish I had the time to countdown the minutes til 5 p.m. Those days are the ones like today. The days when I'm trying to cram as much as I can into my day so I can try my very best to leave by 8 p.m. and limit the day's work hours to 12. Needless to say, I don't have the opportunity to be 'bored' while at work. Some days are all smiles, laughs and good times. Other days, however, are a mixed bag. Smiles and laughter one moment, tears and tissue the next. There's unrealistic time demands, story times by many, and high-stress situations running amuck. These are the days you pray would end quickly. These are the days you ask for a reminder about the important things in life. 

Today, my reminder of the important things... a video of my two year old godson singing "Jesus Loves Me" as he was getting ready for bed. Not just a reminder, but a blessing in so many ways. 

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You typically don't spell "cool kids" in high school with "AP US History." But, let's face it... at Prosser High School, AP US History meant you were in Mr. D's class. Being in Mr. D's class meant you were on the "cool kids" list. Being a DC Mustang with Mr. D solidied your spot on that list. Really, being a DC Mustang simply means you had a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit our nation's capital with 70 classmates during Spring Break. 

Today Mr. D posted on Facebook: "OK DC Mustangs veterans, share one of your most memorable/ funny memories of the trip you went on!" At the day's end, over 60 comments and memories were left. Reading through the comments was a great opportunity to relive the good 'ol high school days and be reminded about all the lessons and experiences DC Mustangs provided. After 10 years, I figured it was okay to let some of our truly greatest memories and TOP secrets be made known to Mr. D. Like the fact that the bedframe in one room was broken because too many people were jumping on the bed. But, it was nothing the guys couldn't fix with a little duct tape and pillows. But, then there was also seeing Michael Jordan play in his last professional basketball season. And, having the Secret Service make our whole group back-up from the White House baracade because the exchange student with the group started climbing the fence at the White House. 

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Appreciate the memories. Fill your life with fun. And, relive the good 'ol days when you have the opportunity.