the eugene bean

Here are my top 5 Odes to Happiness
(thanks for the great topic, Lisa)

1. The days are longer. It's as if the sun (you know, that bright yellow ball of burning gasses? The one I see poking out from behind enormous grey clouds once every couple of days? Yes, That Sun!) is banishing the gloom and doom from the city. People are out walking, shopping, talking, eating... all those things normal people who aren't in hibernation are supposed to do. It's a wonderful thing!

2. I'm happy it's Friday. Friday is Game Day at school, a chance for the kids to work on their social skills and learn how to get along, but moreso, a day that I don't have to write any lesson plans or make-up something innovative that will get 11 middle schoolers interested in Ellen Raskin (a big smootch to anyone who knows who Ellen is) or symmetrical shapes.

3. I'm happy for Ty. He seems to be feeling more comfortable with law school as he approaches his second term exams. He is much closer to figuring out what he wants to be when he grows up. He is excited about new possibilities, it's fun to watch!

4. I'm happy to be in the last term of my first year at JMC. Teaching those kiddos has been a wonderful experience, and I'm proud of my progress. I am really looking forward to teaching a scrapbooking elective this summer. I'm even more excited that Making Memories has agreed to donate product to our class! How incredible is that???

5. I'm thrilled with the possibilities that my eyes have opened up to. I'm excited about the future and what it will bring to my family and to me. I have BIG scrapbooking plans that will allow me to make money doing what I love. These ideas aren't just ideas anymore, they are Plans I Made To Get Where I Need To Be! I'm looking forward to starting the treatment foster care process this summer and I can't wait to open my home and my family to a child that needs us.

Life is Good. And full of Opportunity!