Christmas Festivities

The month of December seems to have flown by! I can't believe we are only 2 days away from Christmas. There is 15 inches of snow on the ground in Corinth, so it definitely looks like Christmas. I've been busy the last few weekends with the usual holiday performances. I finished up my work at Foxcroft Academy with our winter concert on the 13th. It was sad to leave those kids, but they were very sweet to wish me good luck in my new job. I feel very fortunate that I had the chance to work with them and get to know them the past few months.

In addition to performances at FA, the choir at Mom's church had a big performance this past weekend. I've been directing the choir this fall in preparation for their Christmas Cantata. We've had a great time rehearsing every Wednesday night and I've enjoyed getting to know this group of church people better. They did an amazing job on the cantata and it was so fun to stand in front of them and conduct them in their performances this weekend. We all had a great time and I am so thankful to all of them for their energy and commitment. Here is a (bit blurry) photo of me and the choir as we warmed up before the performance on Saturday night. We sang to packed crowds both Saturday night and Sunday morning and it was great! Mom and I also had the choir over to the house for a party after the performance Saturday night, which was very fun. Lots of yummy food and good fellowship!

New Job!!!

Yes, you read that correctly - I have a job, a full time job!!! A few weeks ago I was hired as a long term sub for MS/HS music in Newport, NH. At that time, the job was only going to be for 4-8 weeks, beginning Jan. 5, but there was the possibility that the music teacher wouldn't be back for the rest of the year and I could stay through June. I heard from the superintendent today and it is official - the music teacher isn't coming back this year and the job is mine for the next 6 months! I really got a good feeling about Newport and the school when I went out there for my interview. The principal and superintendent were great and they just built a new fine arts wing on the school with a beautiful, HUGE band room. The job is 6th grade beginning band, 7-8 grade band, and 9-12 grade band and jazz band. I had a chance to hear the HS band the day I was there and they sounded really good. It was nice to see full instrumentation (I had no brass players in Peru - very tricky when it comes to band music) and they played at a pretty high level for such a small school. I can't wait to get in there and start working with them. I'm planning on going in over Christmas vacation to spend some time in my classroom and choose music and all of that stuff that I love!

And, of course, I need to find a place to live. I'm working on a couple of leads and hope to have something lined up in the next week or so. Then the next task is going through all my stuff in the basement and deciding what I need to take with me and what Mom will continue to let me store down there. I'm very appreciative that I could live at home for the past few months, but I am also very excited to have my own place again. And to unpack all my things, some of which I haven't seen since I packed them up in my apartment in Concord before I moved to Berlin.

So, things are looking up in my world and I am very excited about it! I'll keep you posted on further developments. And you're welcome to come visit me in the Newport/Sunapee area anytime!

Christmas Preparations

I have to admit that I do like living at home during Advent. My mom always decorates the house really beautifully and it helps get me in the holiday spirit. We were a little slow getting the tree and the decorations up this year, but they are up now and everything looks so nice.

Most of my ornaments are in storage in the basement (in a box that I wouldn't even begin to know where to find), but it was fun to put up all of Mom's ornaments. She has lots of nativity and Noah's Ark ornaments that are beautiful, but my favorite one is this very old picture of Marc and I. Yep, that would be 1979 - I was 3 and Marc was only 3 months old. I love it!

My mom has always collected Nativity sets and she has some really neat ones. I've bought her ones from the places I've lived or visited, so it is quite a multi-cultural collection. Here is a sampling of just a few of them, arranged along the windowsill in the dining room.

I hope you are having a beautiful Advent!

Giving Thanks

The past 12 months have been pretty rough for me, but I am hopeful that the holidays will signal the beginning of a new, better year. I used to measure time in school years as opposed to calendar years, as I'm sure all teachers do, but lately the marker of time for me tends to be events and big things that have happened. It was exactly a year ago that the whole situation in Peru started and that marked the beginning of what I didn't know would be an incredibly hard year for a variety of reasons. But that 12 month period of change, uncertainty, pain, disappointment, and frustration is over and while I am still dealing with many things that occurred during that time and I still have lots to come to terms with, I am looking forward to the next 12 months and am figuring that they really can't be as bad as the last 12 have been.

In the midst of all the bad stuff this past year, there have been moments of great joy and happiness and I am incredibly thankful for those. I was sitting in church last week (zoning out during Mom's sermon - sorry!), thinking about what I had to be thankful for, given how this year has played out, and while the list isn't incredibly long, it is very important to me. These things have kept me going this year and have helped me to remember that there are good things out there and that I should continue to look forward.

It seemed appropriate that the calendar end of my awful 12 months should fall at Thanksgiving, when we pause to remember what we are thankful for. So here is my list of things I am so thankful for in the past year:

1. My friends who have held me up and loved me through this entire year, even when I may have been a bit difficult to love. I hope I can be as good a friend to all of you as you have been to me.
2. My mom, who is truly the bravest person I know. As much as I think I am all grown up and I don't need her to teach me things and mother me anymore, I realize that she is constantly striving to grow and be a better person and I CAN still learn from her example.
3. The kids in my life who give me lots of hugs, make me smile despite whatever else is going on, and remind me that I am loved. Caitlin, Lauren, Alyssa, Ross & Kassie Clark, Christel & Faith Bellen, and Emerson, Alex, & Eloise Moore bring me lots of joy.

And some highlights of the year, in the midst of all the rough patches:
1. Family dinners in Lima with Reada, Dave, and Tim
2. Karisti's visit to Peru the month before I left
3. Chicago and Iowa with Karisti and Michelle
4. Footnotes at Wanakee
5. George's Pond with Mom, Marc and Megan

I am very thankful for all the good things in my life and I look forward to a new 12 months ahead. Happy Thanksgiving!

Update

I feel the need to blog today because a) I haven't updated in a while, and b) I changed the background/layout of my blog and I want to show it off. However, there hasn't been a ton going on lately, so I'm afraid the update may not be super exciting.

I'm continuing to substitute, with varying degrees of success. I had a few weeks where it was really slow and I only subbed one day each week. That was rough. Then this week hit and I ended up subbing 4 days (and could have done a 5th, but chose not to). This week's subbing was at a local elementary school that I really like. I never thought I would enjoy being back in an elementary school, but the kids and teachers at this particular school are really great. And I've learned some important things about myself and what I want in terms of teaching, specifically the age range of kids that I enjoy working with. High school is obviously my first love and I know I am a good high school teacher. But I also really like teaching kindergarten. Who knew??? I can't imagine I would ever choose to teach kindergarten over high school, but at least I know I can survive a day with 18 five year olds and hold my own. Now 2nd grade is another story... no thanks! It looks like I can do either end of the age spectrum, but not the middle. Keep me away from any classes older than 1st grade and younger than 7th grade and I will be a happy teacher.

In addition to subbing, I've started actively looking for full time jobs for next year, and even for the rest of this year if something comes up. I had a lead about a long term sub position at Singapore American School starting in February that was really appealing to me, but they ended up hiring locally (thanks to Michelle M. for all her help - if she and I had had our way, we'd be teaching together in the same school again). I'm following a few other leads for possible jobs for the rest of this year, but nothing that I am ready to write about yet and possibly jinx (fate/karma/luck hasn't been on my side this year, so I'm not taking any chances). And as for next year, who knows!! The international schools are starting to post their openings for the 2009-2010 school year and more jobs will be posted over the next month, with hiring to start in full force after Christmas. There is a tentative opening in Prague that I'm going to pursue and this job in Singapore might open up for an overseas hire for the fall, so that is an option too. And jobs at private schools in the States will start to be posted, so hopefully CS&A (the recruiting company I'm using this year) will start to refer me to some of those jobs too. I really have no idea where I'll be in the fall, but I'm open to anything at this point. !

So, that's the story for now. It is snowing here in Maine today, so I'm hunkered down for the day. I think I see some knitting and quilting in my afternoon/evening plans... I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are and are enjoying this winter Saturday!

By the way, any guesses where the picture on the top of my blog was taken? I've been going through pictures from the last 4 years and reminiscing. I'll give you a hint - for those of you who received my Ofoto albums when I lived in Berlin, you've seen this picture before. It was taken exactly 4 years ago next weekend - my first Thanksgiving overseas. Any guesses??

It's A New Day

Here is a link to the new will.i.am video "It's A New Day". I highly recommend checking it out. Very inspiring. It is truly the dawn of a new day in our country!!

November Weekend

I've decided to be creative this winter and try to make some Christmas presents. I got into quilting in the year before I left for Berlin and started to make a quilt for myself that I never finished. Stacey was a great, very patient teacher, but I don't think I had enough patience for it myself. However, now that I am living at home and not getting many calls for subbing, I have a lot of time on my hands, so I am much more focused this time around. Here is the quilt I'm making, in its earliest stage. There will be no more pictures of it until it is done, as much as I would love to show it off in its various stages of completion. But the quilt is a gift for someone who reads this blog, so I don't want to give anymore of it away. Look back for a picture of the completed quilt after Christmas.

Saturday night I went over to UMaine Orono to hear Kate play her oboe recital. Kate was one of my students at West and we've kept in touch over the last few years. Her recital was great and I"m so glad I could be there! I'm very proud of her and all she has accomplished as a musician in the last 4 years. She has grown so much since the last time I heard her and it was so fun to see her play again. She played a great piece by Copland, "Quiet City", that I loved and I highly recommend you give a listen to.

On Sunday Mom and I drove to Portland to meet the Clarks for a late lunch/early dinner. I haven't seen them since I left Hedding in August (they have a cottage there too so I got to see them every day throughout the summer) and it was great to be with them and to get lots of hugs and love from the kids. Here we all are at Build A Bear - my mom decided to build a Navy bear for Ian, the 2 year old son of our friend Melissa (she is in the Navy). The kids loved helping build the bear and we put 9 hearts inside the bear to send our love to Ian.

Our new history

President Obama

The headline of the Bangor Daily News today reads "America's Next President: OBAMA". I bought a newspaper today so I could save this headline. I want to have this newspaper to look at years and years from now and be reminded of the amazing time we are living in right now. I want to remember the incredible change that has occurred in our country and I want to be reminded of how proud I am to be an American at this very moment. I am filled with joy and hope!!

Last Weekend

I spent last weekend in NH and while I didn't get a picture of myself in my fabulous ladybug costume at Sarah and Reg's party, I did take some pictures of sweet little Faith Marie. She was 3 weeks old on Sunday and she is beautiful. It is amazing how much she looks like Christel did when she was a baby. Stacey brought out some pictures to compare and they are nearly identical!

Christel is quite enamored with her little sister, though she had some issues sharing the attention as the night progressed. Remember, she is only 3 1/2, so this has definitely thrown her world for a bit of a loop. It took me years to get used to my brother after he arrived when I was 3 1/2!! We did manage to convince her to snuggle with Faith and me for a few pictures, so here I am with my goddaughter and her baby sister. They are too cute!!

All and all, it was a good weekend in NH. I ended up spending the majority of my time at Sarah and Reg's, which is always nice. Sorry I don't have pictures to show from the Halloween party, but it was fun - a keg of Long Trail, lots of food and candy, and a big bonfire in the yard. My costume was a hit and a good time was had by all. The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key, which is fine with me. It was nice just to be in NH with my friends - I feel like it had been forever since I had been down there (more like 4 weeks, but it felt like forever).

YES WE CAN!!!

Halloween Sneak Peek

I couldn't resist posting a sneak peek at my Halloween costume. I don't usually get very excited about Halloween - I'm not very creative when it comes to costume ideas. But Sarah and Reg are having a party on Friday night and I thought a ladybug would be a cute costume. One of the perks of living at home is that my mom could help me with the costume. Actually, I should be honest and rephrase that. I came up with the idea, picked out the pattern, and ironed on the black dots, but Mom did everything else. There wasn't much "helping" on my part - I'm much better at moral support and gratitude as opposed to actual sewing and creating. I think Mom did a great job and the dress came out very cute. I can't wait to wear it on Friday! Thanks Mom!!!

Fall in Corinth

The foliage in Maine has been amazing this fall. Everywhere I drive there is one beautiful sight after another. My favorite spot is on the way to Dover-Foxcroft where I drive through this area surrounded with trees that are the most gorgeous colors, especially with the sun shining through them at 7:30 in the morning. However, I either never have my camera with me or I can't convince myself to actually stop the car and get out in the cold to take a picture, so I've just been enjoying the views for myself. I did stop the other day on the way to Bangor and take a picture of this tree that I thought was particularly pretty. It is just a tiny taste of the beauty we've been experiencing up here. I really do love fall!

Leonard Bernstein's 90th Birthday

This year is the 90th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein. As many of you know, Bernstein is one of my favorite composers and conductors. This picture is my most favorite one of him and I am always inspired by the emotion on his face (he is conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood). I've had this picture hanging in either my apartment or my classroom for at least the last 10 years and my students in Peru especially were quite familiar with my Bernstein passion (I had an entire bulletin board devoted to photos of Bernstein). I told them I hoped one day to conduct with the emotion and inhibition that Bernstein shows in this picture.

In honor of Bernstein's 90th birthday, many orchestras are featuring his music this year and there have been a lot of articles about him lately. I thought this one was really great. And his official website has amazing stuff on it as well. Check it out - maybe you'll fall in love with him a little bit too! :)

Progress

I was poking around the Obama website, trying to decide which t-shirt to buy so I could wear it up here on election day (I figure I'll be the only one in Corinth voting for him, so I wanted to proclaim it proudly), and I came across this poster. I think it is really beautiful and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Good times...

Our friend Erin posted some old Wanakee photos on her Facebook page and I couldn't resist sharing this one here too. Yes, this is Jean and I, circa 1997, when we lived together with Heather at the house in Epping. Our house was often a gathering place for all our Wanakee friends and we were hostesses for some great parties. I'll be honest, I don't remember this partyu at all, but this picture is priceless. Good times, good times...

Fall Weekend at Wanakee

I spent a wonderful fall weekend up at Wanakee, visiting Jean, Mike and the kids. The weather was PERFECT and I loved seeing camp in all it's fall glory. This is the first year in a long time that I will be able to experience Wanakee in all four seasons and I'm looking forward to it. I love camp during the summer when it is filled with kids and energy, but there is something very special about it during the off season, when it is quieter and more peaceful. I love feeling like I have the place to myself. And the beauty of the foliage this weekend was overwhelming.



Jean and I spent all of Saturday cooking meals for a youth group that was using camp for the weekend. It makes for an incredibly long day (we worked 14 hours straight on Saturday), but I'll be honest, it is work I like. I've always felt like I learned how to do things at Wanakee that I would never have learned anywhere else - this includes painting, fixing toilets, building yurt platforms, putting up drywall, including mudding and taping, and mowing a lawn with a tractor. And, of course, how to cook for large numbers of people. As most of you, I hate to cook and am not good at it at all. Luckily Jean is a VERY patient teacher and we always have a good time cooking together. Some Indigo Girls on the radio and some good conversation with a dear friend even makes cooking chicken for 25 people seem like fun. :)

New Addition

It was an exciting weekend for my goddaughter Christel and her parents, Stacey and Fred. Christel's baby sister, Faith Marie, was born on Sunday morning. I talked to Stacey on Sunday night and everyone is doing well. Christel seems quite enamored with her baby sister, which is good. She's been any only child for the past 3.5 years, so I'm sure this will be a big adjustment (just like it was for me when my brother showed up after I had had the place to myself for over 3 years!). I haven't had a chance to see them yet and meet Faith, but I copied this picture from Stacey's hospital blog so I could share it with everyone. I'll have pictures of my own to post after I visit them over Halloween weekend. Congratulations to my dear friend Stacey and her beautiful family!!

Obama '08

Every day I miss my life living overseas, but one of the best things about being back in the States at this very moment is being able to be part of the election process firsthand. Yes, the coverage can get to be too much sometimes and Sarah Palin's voice (and everything she stands for) drives me crazy, but I love being inspired by Barack Obama and the vision he has for our country. I can't wait to cast my vote in person in 31 days and watch our future unfold in a new, positive, exciting way.

My friend Amanda made a great video with the music from "Yes We Can" as the background and it reminded me of how much I had loved this video when I first saw it. I thought it was worth posting it here as a reminder and an inspiration to us all.

Some changes are good...

... at least that is the mantra that I keep repeating in my head in attempts to convince myself that I am okay with the changes that have happened in my life over the last year. I haven't quite gotten myself to believe that all the changes that have happened are for the best, but there is at least one recent one that I am definitely okay with. After growing my hair long for the last year, I was desperately ready for a change. I haven't had my hair that long since I was in college and, while it was nice to have it long for a while, I got to the point where I just couldn't handle it anymore. My students in Manchester used to joke with me that the more stressed I was, the shorter my hair would get. There was a measure of truth to this - for me it is very relaxing to have my hair cut, so it is a good remedy for stress. Needless to say, things have been a bit stressful lately, so a hair cut was in order. I went in and had 8 inches cut off and I'm very happy with it. Here I am, posing with Ralph. He loves to be held like this - what a nut!

I hadn't seen Stacey and Christel in a long time, so it was nice to visit with them while I was in Epping. They came over to Marc's one night and hung out with me and Ralph. Christel thinks Ralph is pretty great (which he is, of course) and she wore him out - patting him, trying to get him to do what she wanted, laying on him. Ralph was very patient, then slept like a log for hours after they left!

Christel is 3 1/2 and has definitely reached the age where she likes to do what she wants to do, not what anyone else wants her to do. After all these years of everyone taking lots of pictures of her, I think she has gotten sick of always posing, so she isn't very good at smiling nicely for the camera anymore. I had to bribe her a bit to get her to smile for this one, but it was worth it!