The Luckiest No Matter What!

I started a blog yesterday, which I've decided to totally scrap.   It was to Nolan and Judah about how I was going to let go of them in a way I hadn't yet.  How they were walking off into a bigger world with more people and more influences and more knowledge and more choices and more freedom (and less Mama).  I was going to wish them a year of feeling safe, of feeling loved, of feeling important and that they would put all of those things right back into the universe by being kind, welcoming, and helpful.   I was going to mention how I was praying they would each have a sharp, hardworking mind, a listening ear, and an open, compassionate heart.  But then today happened... We were cleaning up their room- I'm a firm believer in beginning anything new with organized, tidy spaces.  We had just gotten done putting away laundry and making beds and were working on picking out "first day" outfits.  My boys love to dress up for special occasions...

I pride myself on being pretty on top of things: I'm obsessive, a worrier, a planner, and a control freak.  I work very hard at remembering like everything all the time.  This is a perfect cocktail. #MyCrazy To be honest, I rarely forget things, miss things, show up without things, or do anything without being as prepared as one, who is all those things above, might be.  You should see me (or Josh, frankly) plan trips.  It's kinda a freak show of Excel spread sheets, research, top ten sightseeing books, and notes and plans written down and placed in a manilla folder we carry everywhere.   I say all of this not to embarrass myself, although I'm sure I have a bit, but so that you can understand how active my brain must be.  It is full all the time- full to the freaking rim. I hate  it, HATE  it when I forget things or don't know things I should know. #MyCrazy is my greatest strength and my Achilles heel. However, these last several months,...

My teaching partner, Katie and I, talk a lot to our sixth graders about what they want to be when they grow up and also what WE want to be when WE grow up ;). While learning about a man who discovered a pre-clovis spearhead that could completely change the story of who our Native Americans are and where they came from, I screamed out, "I SO want to be an archeologist when I grow up!" When watching a documentary, Guns, Germs, and Steel, on the history of power and white privilege in our world, I throw my hands in the air and yell, "Dr. Dimond!  He traveled all over the world and made his life's work trying to figure out why some groups have power and others don't?!  THAT'S what I want be when I grow up!" On the completion of the novel A Long Walk to Water , we find out that one of the main characters is real and has devoted his life to bringing water access to his home country of South Sudan.  I slam my hands on the desk and declare, "Now I...