I Love Summer

School is out for the summer & I am really enjoying my time off of work! People always wonder if I go crazy not having anything to do during the day, but I haven't yet! I can always find something to do. I guess I have always been that way. These last 10 days have been occupied by cleaning house, running errands, cleaning up my iTunes library, planning our Great Britian trip, watching a lot of Netflix (I have become hooked on various BBC shows), and catching up on the summer movie releases. I'm also branching out with my cooking skills & practicing on the grill. My sister's baby shower was last weekend & we also attended the Utah Scottish Festival & Highland games. I picked up a new CD from a tribal celtic music group called the Wicked Tinkers. I really want to share a song of theirs, but I can't find any way to upload the file to my blog or to facebook! Anyway, if things continue like this, summer will fly by!

Some Things are Worth Getting Up at 5AM For...

As some of you may know, my friend & I are planning a trip to Great Britian this summer. It has been my life-long dream to visit Scotland, my ancestral home. Because London is so close, we're taking a few extra days & visiting England, too. I am so excited for the trip, I can barely stand the wait. It's like waiting for Christmas morning when I was little; when my brother & I would stay up 'till the wee hours of the morning to sneak out to the living room and poke around at our presents.

We started planning this trip a year ago, when we became roommates again. About a month ago we nailed down the dates of our trip & were pleased to discover that we'll be arriving in Edinburgh at the start of the summer festival season. That information meant that we needed to make B&B reservations right away. We found an awesome B&B for a great price & made reservations last month. I was so excited that this trip was really happening. We also learned more about the festivals going on & decided we really wanted to visit the Royal Military Tattoo festival while we were there. For more information visit: www.edintatto.co.uk

Basically, its a military performance from tons of military bands & regiments from around the world. The festival runs from August 5 - 27, 2011, with performances every evening except Sunday & two performances on Saturday. They perform in a stadium at the base of the Edinburgh Castle & the grand finale features a combined pipe band performance of Auld Lang Syne & Scotland the Brave. When the finale is finished, they close the program with a lone piper playing on the ramparts of the castle. I get emotional just thinking about it, I can't imagine what it'll be like when I get there!!

Tickets went on sale on Wednesday, December 1st at 10:30AM, Scotland time. That meant 3AM our time. Oh Boy!! I finally pulled myself out of bed at 5AM and click the link. I was immediately entered into a queue that read, "Do to the high demand, you have been entered into a queue. Your position is #1,988 and your estimate wait time is 1 hour 20 min." That information was extremely accurate. At exactly 1 hour 20 min. I was automatically directed to the purchasing site & was pleasently surprised to see good seats available in our price range for the date we wanted!!! I'm so excited to go! The show might be the highlight of the trip!!

Here's a pic of the event:

Let It Snow, Let it Snow!!!

It has been so long since I updated my blog, I couldn't even remember my email address to sign in with! Wow!

Anyway, nothing really exciting is going on. I'm still working at the school & it's keeping me more than busy. Things have been better this year...I have an entire day devoted to just instrumental music classes. I love my B days for that reason. Then A days come & things get a little more challenging. But, the holidays are coming & that means long breaks without any school work. Yippee!!

What I really wanted to post about was the awesome "Winter Blizzard Warning" that has been issued for our state tomorrow afternoon & evening. According to the news reports, a blizzard warning has never been issued for our state. I've got plans Tuesday night, but I'll be happy to cancel them if this storm is as bad as predicted. Thankfully I don't have to work Wednesday morning & I can curl up in my apartment & wait for the storm to pass.

I think the only thing that could ruin this excitement would be if the power goes out. The power went out at my parents house a couple of years ago, during christmas break, & it didn't come back on for three days. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I made some preparations just in case. I bought some new batteries for my lanterns & flashlights. I bought water & some food that I can eat without cooking. I've located the extra blankets & coats in case it gets really cold. I also filled the gas tank in my car. I'm feeling really "grown up" right now. We'll hope for the best, expect the worst. It's going to be an exciting week!!

I'm Sorry, My Life is Boring

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Summer was good. I loved every minute of it. I wish I never had to work & I could sleep in & do whatever I felt like doing & didn't have any deadlines or stress. But, there is opposition in all things, every good thing must come to an end, yada, yada yada. At least I know summer will come around again.

School starts on Monday. I've already spent the last two weeks cleaning, spending money, and getting ready. Overall, I feel good about this school year. That good feeling may not last long, but it's been nice so far. I've only had one nightmare. Usually at this time, I've had several. All you teachers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. It's normal "back-to-school" jitters. I'm sure the next week or two will be chaotic, but I know I'll survive, 'cause I've already survived it four times now. :)

In an effort to catch up, I went on two trips this summer. One to Washington DC with my friend Bekah & the other to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons with my family. Megan has posted pics of Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. They're still beautiful. I forgot how much I love the scenery there. Washington DC was awesome! I took tons of pics, but not alot with me in them. I also had a big job interview this summer. My dream band position came available & I interviewed twice for it. Eventually, they offered the position to a colleage of mine who's taught band for A LONG time. When I saw him at the second interview, I knew right away he was going to get it. But the whole process really boosted my confidence as a teacher. Even though nothing has changed for me, my attitude has changed. I feel like I'm on the right track, so far. On a spiritual note, the Lord definately has a plan for me. The path is different from the one I picked, but I need to have faith in Him. I'm here at this point for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I feel a quiet, calm, reassurance that everything is as it should be.

Well, I'm sure life is about to get more exciting now that school has started. I wonder how many lockdowns we'll have this year? I'll let you know!

Running Again...

I have a deep confession to make. Two years ago I started this blog as a journal. I wanted to record my training for my first race. I admit, it was a short, simple race, but a big deal to me. I've never been the athletic type & at the time, I'd never run in a race. I recorded all my training days and posted all the pictures from race day. When it was over, I stopped blogging for a while & I stopped going to the gym. It didn't help that school had started again & I was working alot. I kept thinking I would go back, but it never happened. I've visited the gym occasionally over the last 9 months; maybe a total of 10 days since last August. But obviously it doesn't do any good unless you do it consistently. Because of this, I have gained a lot of wieght & fallen out of shape.

Maybe it's the good weather that has inspired me, or the wonderful examples that I have from my family, but I've decided to start training again. There are plenty of 5k races over the next few months & I would like to run in a few. Not to be a world-class runner, but to give myself a reason to go to the gym. I need to exercise & I need a purpose besides work. And, I know that if I don't post my progress & check in with my blog, I won't perform as well. It's easy to talk yourself out of doing something if nobody knows you were going to do it in the first place. So, thanks for listening & holding me accountable.

NEWS FLASH: Today I left work at 3:10, headed to the gym, ran/walked 2 miles & came home. It wasn't my best work out, and I've lost alot of endurance, but at least I did it.

MOAB!!

I love spring break. It always comes at a much-needed time. Saturday, my family & I drove down to Moab to break-in our new camping trailer. We stayed in a group campsite near Dead Horse Point with several other families. Saturday was spent listening to conference & hanging around camp. I took my bike for a spin & walked around the local trails. Sunday we listened to more of conference & took a drive on the BLM land around our campsite. On the drive we saw an old well, a bunch of cows, & spectacular scenery. We drove all the way to the Green River overlook. Then we came back for dinner. Monday, we drove into Canyonlands & hiked up to Mesa Arch. About noon I had to drive home so I could get ready for work on Tuesday. It was fun to hang with family, see beautiful sites & relax a little bit. The weather was partly cloudy & little cold sometimes, but much better than Salt Lake's weather. The rest of my family is lucky. They get to stay for a couple more days.

Our Campsite (Circle of Trailers)...


Proof I can ride a mountain bike...


The old well in the middle of nowhere...


Picture taken from the truck...


The weather did cool things...


The Green River overlook...


Canyonlands, view from the visitors center...


Being blind doesn't stop him...


Mesa Arch...


The View through Mesa Arch...

My iPod's Not Big Enough!

Well, its finally happened! I have more music & videos than will fit on my iPod. Considering I have the 120 GB iPod, this is quite an accomplishment!! Now I have the fun task of selecting the files I want to take with me & the files I have to leave at home. :( Summary: I have 45 GB of music, 25 GB of movies, 5.6 GB of TV Shows, 4.6 GB of Podcasts, and 19.4 GB of audiobooks. Pretty cool, huh?

Kid-Friendly Me

Today for lunch, I stopped at the local Subway restaurant. After buying my sandwich & filling my Diet Coke, I sat down, pulled out my iPod & started to enjoy my chicken teriyaki sandwich. Within minutes, I feel I'm being watched. I look to my right & I see a cute little hispanic girl, around two years old, watching me eat. She just keeps staring at me. I smile, and she smiles back. I try to go back to eating, but she just keeps staring. After a minute, she starts to play with the garbage can flip door, occasionally glancing back at me. I keep smiling until her mom calls her back. I think, that was weird...why me? Twenty minutes later, I've finished my sandwich and start to eat my cookies. I feel I'm being watched again. Turning to my right and expecting to see the same girl, I'm surprised to see a different girl, around 2 years old, with blonde curls. She's staring at me too! I smile, she smiles back and continues to stare until her dad calls her back to the checkout line. What's the deal?! Did my nose turn green or something?! I couldn't decide to take it as a compliment or an insult. :)

For the Record...

I promise during our spring break, at the end of March, I will update my blog's background. The week after spring break, I should have some new pictures to add!

The Biggest Time Waster?

Just for the record:

I have spent the last 2 hours on the internet: reading blogs & forwarded emails. In these two hours, I have learned how cute cats can be when they sleep in flower pots, what kids say about moms, the latest credit card scams, I don't look good in pictures, how hard it is to buy a car in costa rica, how awesome Brian Reagan concert was in SLC, and how "public" our lives have become. A special thanks to all my family & friends for helping me procrastinate my lesson planning a little longer.

The Poor Kitty

My roommate took our kitty into the vet today to get her de-clawed. This was the look I got when I got home from work:

Big Changes

It has been a while since I posted, and in an effort to avoid my bedtime, I'm going to provide the general public with a brief synopsis of the last three months.

A week after my last post I finally moved into my friends condo. It has been a wonderful change in my life. I now live 10 min. from work, unless there is snow or an accident on Bangeter Hwy. I have two wonderful roommates that I have been able to hang out with & socialize with when I'm home. My roommates are also wonderful examples of thriftiness & I have been able to save more money than in previous years. I live in a wonderful area of town & I'm a part of a wonderful singles ward. I've been able to make a few friends in the last three months, in addition to the ones I already knew.

I had a wonderful christmas break & received a new camera for christmas. I looked forward to posting pictures from my new camera. But since school has resumed, I haven't found the time to learn my new camera & upload pictures. Hopefully soon, I'll make it a bigger priority.

The most recent change in my life is the decision to go back to school. I want to pursue a Masters in Education & Administration, so I may become a school principal or vice-principal someday. I'm not in a big hurry, but I know I can't teach my entire life & I already feel some "burn-out". I've run into a couple of obstacles since I decided, however. Once I decided I wanted to earn a Masters in Administration, I needed to decide which school to attend. Most programs start in the summer. My first choice became the University of Utah, but I discovered I had already missed the application deadline for the year. I can apply as a non-matriculated student, which means I can take up to 9 credits without being officially enrolled in the program. But it will mean the program will take 3 years instead of 2. It might be nice to spread the classes out, and relieve some stress while I'm also working full-time. But it will also mean more money in the long run. Another option is the University of Phoenix. It seems to be a "low-stress" program because I only take one class at a time, but it is completely on-line & I'm concerned about not having real people to talk to & attend class with. From the principals I've talked with, a big part of school is networking with other students who I may end up working with in the professional field. I'm currently looking into my final option, Utah State University. Apparently, they offer this program through their extension campuses, but I don't know any details yet. I hope to talk to someone in the department tomorrow. I've also run into some problems with my teaching level. All of the programs require a level 2 certificate, but I still have a level 1. Even though I have technically taught for 4 years, I've had some difficulty getting credit for the 2 years I taught at the charter school. I haven't tried to work out the details because I didn't have the need. But I may need to jump through that hoop before I can attend school. Don't you love government bureaucracies?

Anyway, there's a quick summary of my life. I'll try a do a better job of keeping th'blog updated.

The Power of Music

For those of you who don't know, I play bass clarinet in a community band ensemble. We rehearse Tuesday nights & give periodic concerts for the community. It has been alot of fun & a great way to keep my "sophisticated music-ears" active. It has also been a great way to socialize with other music teachers in the area. Last night we gave a concert in partnership with the Skyline High School's Wind Ensemble. Our group performed one of my favorite songs that I played in high school, "Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew". It was our big competition piece & it sometimes made me & my family cry. When my mom found out we were performing it, she wanted to come hear it, even though she already had commitments that night. I later remember that she also graduated from Skyline High & it was fun to see her walk the halls of the school after the concert, reminiscing.

While I didn't know the American Fork High School band teacher who was killed in the recent bus accident, the band director at Skyline High School did. When the Skyline High students found out about the connection, they respectfully wore red ribbons at the concert. They also dedicated their performance to her memory, even though most of these students didn't know her personally. I thought they showed a great example of sympathy & maturity beyond their years. It made for a very emotional night!

Another fun weekend

Any day away from work is a great day. This last weekend I spent some good vacation time with family in Moab. For a full report, see Megan's blog. Unfortunately, my camera is really old & doesn't take good pictures anymore. So, I don't have any pictures to share. But I wanted to keep up on my blogging anyway. Moab was great fun, and it was nice to spend some time away from my work life. It makes me sad that summer is coming to an end, as the weather today reminded me. I actually saw snow flakes falling outside my window for about 5 min this afternoon! I have been singing christmas songs all day. "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!" Anyway, I'm excited for the changing seasons & more fun experiences with family & friends. I also had today off, so I was able to get some cleaning done. I think I did 7 loads of laundry today, most of them consisting of stuff with red sand in it. I also had to go to the laundromat & clean my sleeping bags. Another sign the summer season is over. But, I'm excited to wear sweaters & sweatshirts! AND...my friend called me and said we can "definately" move into the condo on the 17th of Oct. Yippee! So, while I have to go back to the work-grind tomorrow, there are still great things coming up. :)

Weekend in Logan

This weekend was Homecoming at USU. Even though I graduated from USU 4 years ago, I've never really participated in the Homecoming events. This weekend was a little different. Because of parent teacher conferences this week, I had Friday off. Add that to a couple of other circumstances & it made for a perfect weekend to go to Logan!

Friday, I drove up to Logan for a rehearsal with the USU Wind Orchestra & Alumni Band. We did a combined concert Friday night. My parents were able to come up for the concert & we all stayed at a hotel that night. Saturday morning, we caught a little bit of the Homecoming parade down main street & then hit the mall. Mom had some coupons she wanted to use. Technically, I didn't have money for clothes, but I managed to find some really cute stuff anyway. JC Penny was having a huge "door-buster" sale. Everything was 50% off! $150 later, I was walking out to the car with a huge bag full of clothes. Luckily I get paid this week! After the mall, we grabbed some sandwiches at Old Grist Mill & headed up the canyon. It was such a gorgeous fall day & the leaves were the brightest I have seen them in years. We ate at "1st damn", watching the fishermen NOT catch fish. With our stomachs full, we drove up towards Tony Grove & took a walk around the lake. My mom & dad got their faces burned, but I didn't get anything! I'm still white as a ghost. Once we got back to town, we joined up with Megan & ate dinner at the Bluebird. Yum! Then we burned off our dinner by walking 6 blocks to the stadium to watch the football game against SUU. It was an awesome game, particurally because USU won! Yippee! Final score: USU 53 SUU 34. After the game, we drove back to Salt Lake & I slept like a baby.

This morning, I woke up early, refreshed & ready to get some personal things done before church today. As I sat up in bed & reached for my eye glasses, I discovered they weren't in their case! I frantically searched my bag from our trip to Logan, coming up empty-handed. After a quick mental check, I realized I left them on the nightstand in the hotel room in Logan. ARGH! I called the hotel, who thankfully said they found them & they were at the front desk. Because my family & I are leaving in 3 days for Moab, I new I couldn't have them mailed to me before we left town again. The only option I had was to drive back up to Logan this morning to retrieve them. Blessed with an extra 3 hrs in the car today, I decided to download the General Relief Society Broadcast from last night & listen to it on the way. It was a great broadcast & having had those extra 3 hrs turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now I'm even more excited to listen to Conference!

Here are some pictures from the football game:














Oh! What a cute family!













Mmmm! Aggie Icecream!

Making a Difference

Let me share with you a couple of conversations I've had with a few of my students:

My bass player stayed after school on Wednesday to practice. When he was ready to go home, he asked me for a note. He wanted me to write a note to his mother, verifying he was at the school practicing. I asked, "What's the matter? She doesn't trust you?" And he said "Nope. My cousin just started coming to this school & she thinks when I'm late coming home from school, it's because I'm hanging out with him." I ask, "Does he like to get into trouble?" And he replies, "Oh yeah! My mom blames my uncle because he's the real troublemaker..." I wanted to ask what kind of troublemaker & thought better of it. Instead I asked, "Do you hang out with your cousin alot?" He replied, "Just when I'm bored." So, then I finished with, "I guess you won't be bored too much with all of that practicing you have to do, right?" :)

I had a kid from one of my classes hang out in my room after school today because he didn't want to go to the dance. He's a 9th grader & he said the dances were "lame." He talked with me while I planned my classes for the next day. He had a lot of really good ideas for his class & "encouraged" me to accomplish some of them. I said I would try, but with my schedule, its hard to get things done quickly. I feel like I'm planning all the time & I'd like to have a social life once in a while. He agreed with me & said having a social life was important. Jokingly, I said, "So, why are you hanging out here? You have friends, right?" Of coarse he had friends. He went on to explain that his best friend was struggling right now. He caught her with vein marks up her arm & told me about all of the different drugs she said she had been shooting up. I was shocked that a 14 year old kid could possess such a diverse pharmacy. All I could do was listen to his story & offer words of encouragment to him, hoping he would find a way to help his friend get clean. It's amazing what kids deal with these days.

Meanwhile, I received a call from my friend today. She said they ran into some problems with the bathroom renovations at the condo & it won't be ready to move into by the 19th. I was disappointed, obviously, cause that means I won't be able to move in until the 10th of Oct. On the positive side, I guess it will give me more time to pack my crap, and she just freed up my weekend. I guess I'll have to take a student's advice & have a social life!

Boring Life

I don't really have anything to say. But, I feel like I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to say something. This is the third week of school & things are starting to calm down & fall into a routine. It has been really nice to have all of my prep time, but I still find myself working after hours. With 5 different classes to prep every two days, I have plenty to keep me busy. I'm learning just how impossible my schedule is. Nobody should be expected to teach my schedule. Not only do I have 5 different classes to prep, but in two of those classes the students are on 3 different levels. It's like I have to teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, & Calculus at the same time to 50 different kids. Then in the same day, I have to teach US History, Geography, & World History at the same time to a class of 30. In addition, I also have to teach a class of 50 students 5th grade biology, and three classes of Health. No wonder I'm going crazy! So far things are better than last year, but it's still tough. I would love to work in a normal Band position, where I just teach Band classes all day long. I'm still looking, but with the economy the way that it is, I'm lucky to have any kind of job. I know a few people that have lost their jobs recently, and I try not to complain too much. Things can definately be worse.

Meanwhile, things are on track to move into my friend's condo on September 19th. My brother & his family move into town this weekend, so it looks like I'll be spending the next two weeks moving stuff. That doesn't leave much room for a social life. Its a good thing I have "mini" vacation plans for the Sept 25th weekend & the Oct. 2nd weeekend! Halloween is going to be hear before we know it! If only the weather will cooperate & get cooler!

My First 5K

It's ironic that I originally started this blog to document my training for my first 5K race. But when I finally managed to register & run in my first race, it takes me two weeks to post the results. But I guess it's better to blog late than to never blog at all, right? So here it goes... The race was an awesome experience! As I posted before, I decided to run in the Wasatch Women 5K/10K race on August 22nd. I was attracted to this race's women-only status & it's short distance. I figured there would be many women of different running levels there & I wouldn't be too embarrased. I'm still considerably out of shape, and knew I couldn't keep up with serious runners. Even though I'm far from my ideal body weight, & running level, I wanted to run this race anyway. I was running for the experience & to get a better idea of my current 5K time. In fact, I didn't really "train" for this race at all. I went to the gym twice in the two weeks prior to the race. I kept meaning to train outside, but the weather was so hot, I just couldn't get myself to run outside. I figured I could at least finish the race, and I didn't care exactly what my time was. But that doesn't mean I wasn't nervous. I've never run a race before. I've never expected myself to run outside, up hills, consistantly for 3.2 miles in front of 1300 people I didn't know. Considering the terrain & the hot weather, I set a personal goal of running the 5K in less than an hour. I know this is a terrible time, considering a "decent" 5K running time is around 20-30 min. But, for me, coming in less than an hour was going to be awesome. I talked Megan into running with me. She agreed, even though she HATES running. Her husband was also kind enough to arrive early with us & take a few "before" pictures. My parents arrived just before start time. It was awesome to have all that support. At the last minute, I decided to listen to my iPod while I ran/walked. I don't usually exercise with my iPod because I'm usually watching the latest video in the CardioCinema room at the gym. I also don't have a good place to keep it while I run. But I was really glad I used it that day. I was able to totally get "in the Zone," and focus on listening to my body. I could push myself harder than I normally would have. I found a good pace & started a quick jog/walk pattern. Before I knew it, I was rounding the corner to the finish line. As my foot crossed the line, I glanced up at the clock and saw 49.52! I came in less than 50 minutes! WOW! I never knew I could do that well! Megan did awesome, too. She had cut 7 min off her time from her first 5K race in May. Considering all the hills in the park, and the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, our times were especially sweet. I was emotional when I started the race & when I finsihed it. Hopefully next time I won't be such a boob. :) Here's a video of me crossing the finish line:



And here's some more pics:

Megan crying after crossing the finish line.

Megan & I hugging after I crossed the finish line.

The "After" picture. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Last Week of Summer

In my world, today is the last Monday of the summer. School starts next week, and if I don't think about it, I'm fine. :) Things are starting to look better in my classrooms & I'm getting closer to getting lessons planned for the first week. Dance Company had a rehearsal today & I could hear girls yelling & giggling in the hallway while I cleaned today. It was a pleasant reminder of what I'll hear next week when all of the students return. Tomorrow I have a music meeting at the district and Wednesday we start our official meetings at the school. We've got meetings Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday is free. I'll probably be planning & running off copies on Friday. My goal is to get everything ready to go by Friday afternoon, so I don't have to do anything over the weekend. I want this weekend to myself. Saturday is my first 5K race & I'm really excited to get it over with. I know my time won't be great, because I'm still terribly out-of-shape, but at least I'll have a starting point to improve upon.

Meanwhile, my friend finally closed on her condo last Thursday & her parents have been constantly working on getting it ready to move in. My friend is stuck at work for about 60 hrs a week. She has one night off & Sundays, so she's not able to help a lot. I was able to help out for a few hours on Saturday & it was the first time I've seen the place without the previous owner's crap in it. The condo needs a lot of work before we can move in, but things seem to be moving quickly. It's going to be awesome when it's finished. I'm going over to help tomorrow after work, so I'll try and take some pictures.

Change Can Be A Good Thing

At risk of falling victim to Murphy's Law, I'm going out on a limb and saying I'm really excited for this school year to start. I have spent the last two days at the school, cleaning & organizing my classrooms. Yes, I have two classrooms. The "band" room & the "choir" room, although the "choir" room is currently the "piano lab". After a year of living in clutter & chaotic messes, I'm finally able to clean & organize 30 yrs of crap. I should've taken "before & after" pictures for all to see, but I know the students will appreciate the work I've done. I'm sure it will help my sanity too. Hopefully by Friday I'll be organized enough to start working on lesson plans & disclosures for when classes start. The only frustration is the heat. The school has no air-conditioning. It only takes 10 min. of moving boxes before I'm sweating profusely.

It's also been fun to see the new teachers at the school. I haven't realized how much I've learned in the last year. Thankfully, I don't have to figure out my account login, how the copy machine works, what my budget is, what a referral is, etc. Life is good in that area. :)

Meanwhile, the moving process has been stalled again. My friend is experiencing some delays closing on her condo. I shouldn't be surprised; I've heard this happens a lot. But, I can still be disappointed. Now, we are thinking we'll be able to move in some time in September. I'm still hoping for the first weekend in September, but we'll see how things go. The positive side is I'm able to concentrate more on work things, which will help make the school year run more smoothly. At this point, I think we are taking things one week at a time.