The First Day

Oh, my friends, it was a good one. A really good one.

But first, can I please tell you what time my body woke me up this morning just rarin’ to go? FOUR A.M. What the heck? That has never happened to me before. Usually my pre-first day of school jitters/hyperness has me completely unable to go to sleep the night before. Not this time. I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and then BAM. Four stinking a.m. I’ve often said that it’s just rude when my body wakes me up mere minutes before my alarm is set to go off. But two hours?! That’s just spiteful.

Even with the false alarm, I got off to school in the most organized fashion that I ever have. I’ve discovered that due to my commute off the mountain and over to the school {about thirty minutes, which passes quickly} it is going to be essential for me to prep everything the night before. I’m talking lunch packed, outfit picked, school bags already in the car.

Oh…wait. You say that’s just part of being a responsible adult? Well, looks like I’ve finally arrived.

The day with my kiddos went swimmingly. Schedule was followed, transitions were smooth and children were attentive. Success! I have to confess that there was part of me that wondered if I would remember how to do this. I think my horrible experiences substituting had me spooked. Lo and behold, this time around teaching was just like riding a bike. Once I stepped to the front of the room, it all came back. The tone, “the look” {you know the one- it would snap you back to obedience but quick}, the directions, the routines, it was all there. It feels so good to be a teacher again!

I came home ready to take Knox for a walk. We had gotten to the top of our street when I spotted the storm clouds and the rain started to fall. Back we went. Twenty minutes later the sky was clear once again so we headed out a second time. We didn’t even make it to the top of the driveway before it started raining. Sigh.

Have you ever promised your energetic dog the thing they want most in the world only to rip it away from them? Twice? I imagine it’s like offering your toddler a giant bowl of ice cream, dipping the spoon in, getting it to their lips and then BAM. It’s gone. The wailing that follows is something akin to Knox’s moans and groans as he laid on the floor by the front door looking longingly towards the street.

After dinner the sky was clear and I thought we’d try one more time. A half mile from our house the sky opened up. OF COURSE. Thankfully, we were just around the corner from our friends’ home and they gladly took in one sopping wet dog and his owner. And my across the street neighbor called to ask if we were ok and did she need to come get us because she had her boots and raincoat on, ready to come to our rescue. I am seriously blessed in the neighbor department, no?

And with that, I’m going to wrap up this glorious day. If you’re needing one more moment of zen, might I suggest that you head over to my friend Leslie Sloan’s blog? You really won’t want to miss the video tidbit she has waiting for you.

{P.S. If you’ve left me a comment or sent me an email over the last few weeks, please know that I’ll be responding to you this weekend. The back to school craziness consumed me but my inbox is now at 260 and as a girl who likes to keep it around twenty, that is seriously stressing me out. Maybe I should have tackled some of those emails this morning. Because did I mention I woke up at FOUR a.m.? Yes? Ok.}