Good Morning!

It has been a while.

Two weeks ago Josh successfully got through his "night problems" which were three nights of pretend car stops, investigation situations, and range (gun/shooting) scenarios. Last week he was rewarded by getting to learn how to drive like a cop - skidding out, weaving, and all other fun things. This week he is fighting a cold and woke up in the middle of the night last night with a stomach ache. I gave him pepto bismol and he felt better and could sleep after that, but I think that the poor guy is well and truly tired out. Months of the academy are really starting to show, and although he is successful and has less than a month left to go (praise God!), he is tired. I wish that he could have a break.

My life, on the other hand, has gotten a lot easier lately. Two weeks ago I finished up at Stimson, said "good-bye" to all my kids, and left. I actually had a really good last week with them. They almost acted like normal kids and I felt like they knew that they were loved. Last Monday I started teaching summer school here at WCHS and it is wonderful. I feel as if I were coming alive again after months of being too worn to enjoy anything. I don't know if it was Josh going through the academy and supporting him through that, working at Stimson, (or probably both) that killed me, but I feel like me and I didn't know that I was missing being me this much. I can breathe again.

One good thing that I brought out of Stimson, though, was a new awareness and understanding of teaching. I think that I'm now really and truly a professional teacher and I feel like I've finally gotten a grasp on things. I also came out of Stimson with a new friend, and I think that we will stay friends. I've missed having guy friends and the perspective that they give me, and being friends with M has really helped me appreciate Josh (and his points of view) a lot more and reminds me that men and women really are different and that's ok. I'm so lucky to be with Josh. He's becoming more and more a wonderful husband and I have very few things that I could complain about and even fewer that I actually would. I feel like I can be more and more honest with him about stuff and it's restful. I like restful.

Well, class starts in half an hour, so I'm going to go prep. May God be with you all and may you lean on his mercies.