What Have I Been Doing?

Summer started with me learning about Grant Writing by reading everything I could about the subject and taking a class.  I joined a national grant writer's association and applied for a scholarship to attend their annual conference.  I was awarded that scholarship, and will attend the conference next month!

Portage Glacier Valley - temperate rain forest

Early summer weather was warm and enjoyable, and when my husband and I weren't enjoying the great Alaskan outdoors with our RV, we were working on a huge project in our back yard.  We looked forward to completing that project so that we could go back to spending weekends in the RV.

Working in the back yard

As we wrapped up the yard project, my husband was sent out of town to work.  He worked 10 hour days, Monday-Friday.  After working 8 hours on Saturday, he would drive the 3 hours home.  After a short 32 hours home, he'd leave and start it all over again.

Getting Forte comfortable in the indoor arena

With my husband out of town I spent a lot of time at the equine assisted therapy center. I played with horses, became an officer on their board, conducted lessons with children and young adults on the autism spectrum, wrote a grant for them, and began organizing the volunteers among other things.

Fall arrived, my previous coworkers returned to school and their classrooms.  I spent time helping some of them prepare their classrooms.  I didn't miss it.  I spent one morning in the classroom of a friend.  She asked if I would like to lead a math lesson.  I couldn't not say "no" fast enough.

I thought I would miss being in the classroom, but I don't.  I miss my friends and my students, but I do not miss the politics that teaching has become.  

Teaching has become about curriculum and assessment.  Despite success in increasing skill levels of my students, I was reprimanded for not using the mandated curriculum.  Education has become about teaching curriculum, not teaching children.  I don't miss that.

I have gotten a lot of knitting done.  I do that on days I just don't wanna do anything!  I promise to post pictures, but today is about catching up.

I am currently re-connecting with the time management pro I was in college.  The one who could do it all - work 35 hours a week, take a full-load of classes and remain on the Dean's List.  Working from home is a blessing and a curse.

A once-in-a-life-time adventure!

It was a blessing when we had a family member from out of state here for a week.  We took a flight around Denali (the mountain formally known as Mt. McKinley).  I owe you all a post with pictures.  It is definitely a bucket list adventure!

This is what about 4 hours of knitting on a train will get you.
Project was cast on at home and knit a few rows before first holes.

Another blessing when my mom called and wanted me to join the senior center on a day trip to Seward, Alaska, on the Alaska Railroad.  I didn't take many pictures, but I knit A LOT on the 8 hour round trip train ride.  I did buy yarn.  Okay, another post, later, I promise!

Working from home is a blessing when my mom has doctor's appointments, calls in crisis because she can't do something and need help, or calls me and just wants to take me out to lunch or shopping.

The curse is that, even though I have a lot I want to get done, I often get up with no plan to do anything in particular and that's what I get done, NOTHING!  Over dinner, my husband will ask me what I did today and I'll try to say one thing I did that was productive and I can't.  "I, uh, well.....  I .... uh.  Oh!  I took a shower and got dressed!"

That gets you almost up to date, and gave me some possible blog posts to create!