Story A Day

A snapshot of my Tuesday evening…The 10:00 news is on in the background. I am cozy on the couch beneath a blanket. Tim is napping on the other end of the couch. The dishes are done. My homework is not done, though I probably should have worked on it today Life is good.

We got word today that ANOTHER one of our students was selected to be a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar!  Wa-Hooooooo!!!!  Amazing.  I can tell you their names since they will soon be in a press release – CONGRATS Trevon and PaChia!!!  So exciting.  See a few blogs back for more details about this amazing scholarship!

Tim and I spent a good chunk of our day installing a new exhaust fan in the bathroom. The old one decided to die a couple weeks ago! As usual, it was more complicated that we’d hoped it would be. But after about 5 hours, and one trip to Menards, it was done Here are some photos of the new light/fan, and Tim waving from the attic!

Sawing:  Tim and I spent most of the day beginning to build the Murphy Bed for the basement bedroom.  We bought the metal mechanism, but we have to build the frame.  It gave us a great chance to break in the “shop” in the garage.  And, we inhaled a fair amount of saw dust

Throwing:  After all that hard work, it was time to play!  We headed across the street to our “second yard” (aka: the park ) where we tossed a Frisbee around!

Running:  After playing Frisbee for a while, we decided to go for a walk through the park.  We jazzed it up a bit with a race through the labyrinth atop the hill in the park.  Yes, labyrinths are supposed to be for meditation, but we were the only ones there, so we had some fun running instead!

Resting:  As I sit here on the couch typing the blog entry, Tim is on the other end of the couch enjoying a movie…ahhhh, nice to rest at the end of a fun-filled day!

We got a phone call at about 5:00 this afternoon from one of our 8th grade students. He’d just received word that he was awarded one of 75 scholarships given to students nationwide by the Jack Kent Cook Young Scholars Program. The scholarship provides financial support for all of his academics endeavors throughout high school, and if he continues to meet the expectations, support through college and graduate level studies! It’s an AMAZING opportunity and we SOOO excited for him! BSP works with a few students every year to complete the scholarship application process, so it is thrilling when one of them wins! A great way to end the work week!

…and I’m not talking about McDonalds. I am annoyed that they hijacked that phrase, now every time I say “lovin’ it” I get that dumb jingle in my head from McDonalds! Agh. What I am lovin’ is the weather. I am very lucky to have windows right next to my desk, where I can feel the breeze blowing in throughout the day. It’s a bit of a tease, but better than nothing! Luckily, I got to spend the evening going for a walk around the lake with my mom, enjoying the conversation and weather all the while. Thanks mom! Now, time for some much-needed sleep

My grad school class this semester is very heavy on reading.  As a result, I’ve been forced to tap into my speed reading skills I’ve noticed that if I make the choice to speed read, I can get through the material relatively quickly and grasp most of the content.  My technique?  I move my pen down the page, and don’t allow myself any more time on the line than the pen  allows.  I’ve noticed that my brain manages to catch the important words, and the content is quite clear.  Wow!  I also make a note beside paragraphs that catch my eye, which helps me remember what I read.  I’ve found this even more effective that simply underlining.  In addition, since this technique is more “active” than my “read every word” style, I don’t have as much trouble falling asleep

- A Great Blue Heron resting peacefully on a log by the shore.
- The little boy who lost control of his training wheel bike and ran into a German Shepard (everyone was okay).
- Running into Josh (a friend and real estate client) and his young mentee, out for a run.
- The amusing t-shirt of a passerby, “40 isn’t old if you’re a tree”.
- Warm sun, and a pleasant breeze!

You know that Fall is arriving when:

- The leaves on the neighbors tree are brilliant orange and red
- It’s comfy to hang out by a bonfire in a sweatshirt
- Store shelves are stocked with Halloween gear
- The Coots are back at Como Lake!

Though the temperatures are a bit deceiving, the signs of Fall are here! It is my favorite season

We attended a wedding a few weeks ago for one of Tim’s cousins. They had a photo booth there for guests to have some fun Then, each of us picked a photos to add to a scrapbook for the bride and grooms.  Very cute idea.  Here are some funny photos of me, Tim, my sister-in-law Kate, and my mother-in-law Mary Ellen. We laughed so hard when we came out and saw the photos! Check us out…