...s u m m e r...

oh how i love you, summer! you came so fast this year..i can't quite believe you are already here.

i plan to do so much in my time with you:
read books
read magazines
go to the pool and lay my white-ass out (while engaging in the first two items listed)
go to the gym and go running at whatever time i please
sit around and do nothing
hang out with my homeboy
go to breakfast
go to the beach
go to the dog park and on long dog walks
watch useless daytime television if i please (i'm quite sure i won't do that but it sounded fun to say)
have a second cup of coffee and lounge in my PJ's
and i'm sure we will think of more things to add to the list!

awe, summer. you have arrived and i couldn't be happier!

letter

Dear eighth graders,

Two years ago I made the jump from teaching 6th grade to teaching 8th grade. If I must be honest, I was a little nervous to teach you because many of you are bigger and taller than me. A part if me wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, that my classroom management was strong enough to handle big bad 8th graders. While yes...some of you are very challenging, I absolutely adore you! I love how you are mini-adults who can think for yourselves and carry on good conversation. I like that when I say "how are you?" or "have a good weekend" most of you return the regard to me and genuinely care about my answer. I love how you get my sarcasm and laugh at most of my jokes. I really like how if you are messing around, I can give you a look and say "really?" and you will realize you are being ridiculous and stop. I love how many of you take responsibility for yourself. All of you have taught me things along the way and I am grateful. Be confident in who you are, both as a student and a person. Remember you have all the power in the world to do whatever you want to do and be whoever you want to be. Don't give your power away by letting other people or circumstances keep you down. It has been SO fun watching you grow and mature and get ready for high school. It is the last day of 8th grade and you are ready now. You will go on to do great things I'm sure! I sincerely hope you come back to visit me, because I will miss you. I hate that I only get to know you on campus for one year and then you're gone. Embrace change because it helps you grow as a person. Enjoy every minute of the present! Stay focused on your goals and dreams and your future will be bright! You better come back and visit me!!

Love, Mrs. Harvey

hard questions

bad things happening to good people is just so hard to understand. maybe impossible. several months ago i read "The Shack" in hopes of being enlightened on this very issue in a spiritual sense. i certainly got a lot out of the book and found it an amazing a unique way to look at God. and how humans and one-size fits all religion has done a really good job of turning people away from God for good reason. the book does address the topic of bad things happening, but i did not get a good enough answer that i can wrap my brain around. especially when it comes to something like cancer. it is so so unfair. and heart-breaking and ruthless. and recently, has been all too prevalent.

my friend and former colleague from Wilson just passed away from cancer Sunday. she was a strong and beautiful and funny and confident woman and mother of three. she was a selfless person who genuinely cared about everything about my life. she was so fun to be around. she won her first battle with breast cancer more than 2 years ago. it came back in her bones and quickly spread. megan, i know i told you often how you inspired me and we had many conversations about your strengths and weaknesses in your battle. you are amazing and i miss you.

this photo is megan and her husband, chris, at our wedding. she was rockin' one of her fabulous wigs!



i am sorry for the downer, but it was on my heart and the least i could do is honor the beautiful person she was. Keep her family in your thoughts and prayers if you think about it. Her kids are Kyle, Patrick and Kate (the baby girl who is 4).

Rockin' n Rollin'

i will be running my first full marathon this sunday, and matt will be completing his sixth! matt will finish about 3 hours before me, but that's okay!! thankfully, i will have my buddies kirstin and mack with me to provide lots of encouragement for each other. kirstin has been encouraging me this whole time of training, when i was thinking i probably couldn't actually end up doing the marathon. now, i am so thankful for her encouragement and sooooo excited for the challenge (okay, and a bit nervous also, but mostly excited!!!)

i am fairly certain this event will be the single most challenging thing, both mentally and physically, that i have ever done in my life!

i told my students that if for some reason i didn't show back up to school for the next two weeks...then i probably died.

i couldn't be more excited to experience it with my most fabulous sister-in-law and brother-in-law!!! oh, and don't worry...kirstin and i have matching outfits and we will look cute, no matter how tired and haggard we are by the end :) i will post pictures for sure!

until then, here is one of my lovely hubby in marathon number three (his fave photo).

he's a rockstar

photo fun

hhhmmm...am I am Oregon girl or a Cali girl at heart? Can I be both? This WWII Memorial was amazing.


Here are some of my best shots of the week on the East Coast. I have had fun learning my camera and look forward to having more time to practice this summer!

Washington Monument


State Capitol Building


The Metro


A banner I liked in the Library of Congress


I found my next anniversary present. The Hope Diamond


Sunset on the Potomac River (and a couple of kayakers)


A White House and a Brown Bird. ok, the White House and a regular bird.


Arlington. Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers


Intense.


Yes. I concur.


Mt. Vernon. George's ol' stomping grounds.


Lightpost in Central Park


Resident New Yorker


I could spend some time here.


A peek at the City


Little in the Big City


Curb Your Dog? Was that necessary?


what's your favorite picture? I'd love to know!!

visitors!

my sister and derek (her fabulous fiance) fly into town tonight to hang out with us for the long weekend!!! matt and i have been thinking/planning all kinds of fun things to do with them while they are here! we are SO excited!!!! derek has never been to san diego (hard to believe!) so it will be extra fun to be able to show him around our city. i will take lots of photos to document our fun!

the home stretch

i am back from the east coast trip, slept half the weekend and played half the weekend (nice combo) and not quite ready to go back to work tomorrow. i believe people who talk about jet-lag now. man, it jacks you up! well, plus a crazy-packed week seeing every sight to see in DC and a mini new york visit...getting 4 hours of sleep per night and going non-stop all day! that might have had something to do with it also.

i honestly can't believe we only have 4 weeks of school left. testing is done, it really is the home stretch. i am excited for summer but really going to miss this group of students...i love them! we will see if i love them when i get to school tomorrow and assess the damage done after an entire week of subs.