More Dragon Con/Katie Day

Korra and Nate spent most of the day at Dragon Con (lots more shopping and another McElroy panel). 

I went to the farmers market and the Quaker meeting, took a nap, got a massage, sat by the pool and caught up with some neighbors, and finished my audiobook while crocheting.

Dragon Con Parade

This morning we met up with 4 friends and walked to the Dragon Con parade.  Afterwards we had lunch and then Nate and Korra explored the merch hall and game room at the convention while I returned home for a quieter afternoon.

Plans Dashed

I was planning to go to get a foot massage today, but I got a blister on my toe yesterday.  I was planning to take a bubble bath, but after trying to fill the big tub for half an hour, I discovered it only had a few inches of water in it.  The stopper is broken.  Bummer.

Birthday Celebration #1

My brothers both came over for dinner (along with Sarah and Lily). Korra picked Grindhouse and then we had a little cake afterwards. 

McElroys Panel

Tonight Korra and Nate went to their first official Dragon Con panel and she got to ask a question to the McElroys about how to keep your Dungeons and Dragons players from getting distracted during a campaign. Excellent question and another super cool experience!

4:30- again

I am really, really tired of waking up at 4:30 am and not being able to fall back asleep.  On the plus side, the weather has been cooler at night (low 60s) and my morning walk and bike ride to school has been so much more pleasant.

Author Event

As part of Korra's birthday celebrations, last night she and Nate are attended an book signing and discussion with Matt Dinniman, the author of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Korra dressed up as her favorite character, Princess Donut. The audiobook's narrator Jeff Hays made a surprise appearance and read an excerpt from the (unpublished) next book!  They both had a great time despite the crowd and long wait to get their books signed. 

4 am

The cat throwing up woke me up at 4 am and I couldn't go back to sleep (even though it's my late day). So I made the most of it with an audiobook, coffee and a puzzle. 

Biking to Buckhead

This afternoon I biked 8.75 miles from school to my allergist (about 40 minutes).  The way home was only 4.5 miles and I did that in 23 minutes- which is especially impressive when you consider that last week it took me 44 minutes to DRIVE home.  Too bad the route isn't bike friendly.  I spent most of my time on the sidewalk.  

Musical Chairs/Books

Today the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders did "Musical Chairs" but with a book in each chair.  Once the music stopped, they had to sit in the chair and read that book for 2 minutes.  (there were enough chairs for everyone and no one got "out")  It was a novel way to get them to sample some books they might not try otherwise.  Considering my super successful Library Scavenger Hunt last week, I'm feeling like quite the teacher librarian these days.

Breakfast and Games and Fries

This morning I had breakfast with my romance book club. I've really enjoyed meeting with these women monthly to discuss books and our lives. 

Afterwards, one of my friends from book club and her husband came over to play some board games. (This makes TWO husbands of my book club friends that I've facilitated becoming Nate's friends).

We ended the afternoon by driving first to the new Grove at Monday Night (crazy busy, terrible traffic/parking) and then to the much more chill Imaginarium and Small Fry. 

It was fun, but I'm also looking forward to a very low- socialization day tomorrow. 

Rotating Sushi

We went out for dinner with friends tonight- not only was the sushi on a conveyor belt, but a robot delivered our drinks. More expensive than a regular sushi dinner but the girls definitely found it entertaining. 

Reading Bowl

We had an interest meeting for Reading Bowl after school today. We had 21 kids- I'm hoping for a team of 10, so this is a good start. The kids were so excited. 

Putting it into words

During a team meeting, I listened to ever everyone was saying and then synthesized it to write notes. Two of the teachers mentioned they really appreciated and were impressed by my ability to put my thoughts into words. I credit the nearly daily writing I do on this blog.

Kids Say

Overheard from kids today:

• someone spilled their crayons and when the whole table helped clean them up, a first grader exclaimed, "The power of friendship!"
• I asked "would you rather eat french fries or tater tots?" and a kindergartener yelled, "but where are the fries FROM?"
• "For some reason, the Inside Out movie came out when I was five."

Rereading

To make planning simpler, I'm doing the same lesson with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Unfortunately, that means in the course of a week, I've read the same book out loud 9 times. I start to zone out while reading and I wonder if I've actually been reading the words or if I started saying what I was thinking… Three more weeks of teaching all the kids (5 classes day) and then I get to my normal schedule of only 2-3 classes a day. 

CHOA

This afternoon Nate and I visited one of our godsons at the Children's Hospital. We've never been before (so thankful for Korra's incredibly good health) so the kids showed us "the Zone" which is full of cool interactive toys, arts and crafts, video games, and a putt putt course.  If you've got to be a sick kid, this seems like the best place to be. I enjoyed reading to the kids and playing cards with them. Fingers crossed they'll be home on Tuesday. 

Too Crowded

I decided to take the Beltline (a pedestrian and bike path through the city) to get groceries this morning and pick up my ring. Unfortunately, I forgot what that would be like at 9:30 on a Saturday morning. It was so crowded with runners and groups of aimless walkers that it was almost impossible to ride my bike at times. I'm not sure if it's that everyone was distracted (headphones and conversations) or entitled (do you really need to walk 4 across with your iced lattes??) but it was a frustrating and occasionally harrowing experience. I think I might prefer taking my chances on the road with the cars 

Exactly what I needed

I felt sad and tired today, so last minute I cancelled my crisis text shift and scrapped my plans for cooking dinner. Instead, I went with Nate and Korra to her climbing practice. Nate and I had a delicious dinner at Boxcar (and ordered a to-go burger for Korra), went for a walk, and just generally caught up with each other. It was such a lovely evening and has helped to reset my mood and energy level. 

Really Tired

The past few evenings have been really busy and even though none of it individually is serious, it feels like a lot when I'm already tired.  Korra's bike got a flat tire, a part on the car fell off and needs to be fixed, they've been rebuilding our shower and it's made a big mess, my wedding band broke and needs to be repaired, plus allergy shots, a doctor's appointment and faculty meeting, climbing practice...  I know in the grand scheme of things, these are minor inconveniences but my body and emotions aren't getting that message. 

Climbing Team

A few weeks ago Korra tried out for the intermediate competitive climbing team and did really well. We're so proud of the work she's put into this sport and the growth she's shown. We love she found something she enjoys so much that is so good for her body and mind. And also... this new team is an extra $100 a month and comes with the commitment of an additional 2 hour practice every week. I know it's typical for extra curricular activities to become more time consuming at this age, but it's going to take some getting used to in our family. 

More Bears Sewing

On Saturday afternoon Korra and I spent a few hours working on teddy bears for kids at immigration court or detention centers. I took a dozen more bears home that need some hand stitching (closing necks after being stuffed and adding a heart to the chest). I really enjoy the small handwork while watching TV or listening to a book. 

Barf

Took a kindergartner to the nurse and he threw up all over the hallway right outside her office. Stomach bug is going around school. Pray for us. 

No System

If I saw a fire, I know who to call. If I found a lost dog or a hurt bird, I know what to do.  Last night I saw an unconscious, barely dressed unhoused person, who clearly needed help, and I had no idea what to do. I know getting police involved often make situations like this worse. I tried the non emergency line 3 different ways before finally getting a hold of someone (except for, bafflingly, when I was once transferred to watershed management). They eventually sent EMS to check on the person but I'm not sure I was helpful enough. We have no clear, working systems to help hurting people and it breaks my heart. 

Meal Prepping

This evening I made a couple of freezer casseroles for friends that have a kiddo in the hospital and while I was at it, did a bunch of meal prep for the well.  My audiobook made the 2 hours of work more enjoyable, as does the knowledge that this will make the week easier for my family and hopefully my friends' family too. 

Culture

In one afternoon and at one location, we went to a plant swap, to an amateur wrestling match, and to listen to a jazz Quartet.  Atlanta is a really fun city sometimes. 

Lovely Evening with Friends

Last night we walked with friends to the nearby Mexican restaurant and then walked from there to get ice cream. The weather was the nicest it's been in a while (high 70s and cloudy). Afterwards, they came back to our place for board games. It was an evening that included so many of the things I love. 

Return of the Allergy Injections

I haven't been able to get my weekly allergy injections in 3 weeks because of the reaction I was having. Apparently the spot I get my shots isn't supposed to swell to the size of half my palm, especially not this early in the process. They adjusted my dosage and what meds I need to take to pretreat so we'll see how it goes. I don't know if I mentioned before that I walk the hallway during the 30 minutes I have to wait there. The nurse told me today that 2 other patients have started walking during their wait because they saw me doing it!  (I got 1.4 miles today!)

Parent Emails

At previous jobs, parent emails usually meant someone was upset with me.  In just one week of school, I've already got 2 kind, grateful emails from parents.  It's really nice.

Weekend Before 8th grade

We had a pretty chill weekend. On Friday afternoon, Korra and Nate competed in a Mario Kart tournament (they both made it to the semifinals. On Saturday we had dinner out with neighbors and a chill afternoon of card games.  Today we're enjoying a break in the summer heat (rainy and high of only 75 today and tomorrow). I've spent plenty of time reading and crocheting and Korra played lots of video games with her cousin. Hopefully it's been calm enough for Korra because tomorrow she starts her last year of middle school.