Visitors and the first day of school (life and a little teaching)

I woke up in a mildly pleasant mood today. I was able to do a few of my favorite things (listen to the radio for 2 hours before actually getting out of bed, eat oatmeal and drink coffee while reading, and do some straightening of my apartment) all before 9 a.m. Knowing that this was going to be my last leisurely breakfast of the summer, I was really enjoying everything. Then, just as I was about to go to the laundromat, I checked my email. Now, I am mildly extatic.

My dear friend emailed me last night to let me know she is here--I'm going to get to see her! I have never been the type of person to pull off a surprise trip. I get to excited and have to tell the people I am visiting. But, now that I know how happy a surprise visit can make a person, I may try to pull one off at some point in my life. I can't wait to see her.

Another thing of note is that today is officially my last day as a first year teacher. Tomorrow begins two days of conferences and then my students arrive on Thursday. I have been waking up thinking about things I am going to say to my little guys and the other students in the school. Teaching gives me space to be a bit of a dork sometimes. I'm sure that a fifth grader, who is always in trouble, will be a little confused when I ask him what good things I will hear about him this year. But, I'm going to ask him. And, I'll get to refer to myself in the third person again. For some reason, I did that all of the time last year. It's a little strange...but, it worked