6 weeks remain until the freedom of summer...or until the teaching stops and the planning begins again...I will be teaching grade 1 next year so that means a summer of planning, which I'm really looking forward to! I have the taste of summer and it is hard to convince myself that it is not quite summer yet. We've been having such beautiful days. Last week we ate lunch outside at school 4 days out of the 5. This week we'll be going on a nature walk on Friday! I've been taking my science class outside alot. We're studying plants so it works out perfectly with my "sunshine itch". My students are growing beans and flowers in the classroom and we've also already planted some plants at home - petunias from a classroom episode, a few tomatoe plants from Mom Sikkema, and a variety of seeds that will hopefully produce some beautiful flowers - poppies, lupins, sweet peas, columbine, matthiola, delphinium! The tulips are already dying and the hosta (i hate that thing) is starting to come up. The chives are growing like mad and have been seasoning a lot of my cooking lately! I love this time of year!

Charleston

Pam and I had a great time in Charleston and surrounding area! The weather was in the mid to high 20s which was one of the major enjoyments of the week! We felt like our senses were assaulted...coming from a somewhat bleak winter Ontario to the vividness of a Carolina spring was amazing! The sounds and sights of spring were so overwhelming! Especially since we spent so much time outdoors, in plantation gardens, or swamps or forests! The flowers were bright and beautiful - azaleas, magnolias, camellias, and the greenery was also so breathtaking, especially the live oaks with the spanish moss. We also learned alot on this vacation. We learned the stories of so many old plantations that we visited, and of some of the graveyards we toured in the city (complete with ghost stories!), and also some botany from a very interesting elderly gentleman! I have posted some of our pictures on my new Picassa web album.

Road Trip!

So after an interesting last two weeks of work...3 days on...6 days off (4 snow days and a weekend) and 3 days on....I am officially on March Break. Pam and I are heading down to Charleston, SC this afternoon. We plan to drive for about 6-7 hours and end up in West Virginia tonight, and then finish up the trip tomorrow morning. Why Charleston? Lots of people are asking me this! It will be warm - 20-25 C, beautiful (dogwood and magnolia will be in bloom) and full of interesting American history...my major at MAC. We plan to see lots of plantations, do some walking tours...a dungeon one in particular is on the list, check out a beach perhaps and do some pubbing at the Charleston waterfront! A great combination! We'll be back by Saturday :) Hopefully I'll be able to post a few pictures here and there while I'm away, otherwise it will have to wait until I return! Happy March Break everyone!

Another Snow Day

Another day at home...baking cookies (I'll bring some with a&r!), report cards, and investigating Washington State. We're debating where and if for a summer vacation...maybe Washington State for some family camping (we would meet cousins, aunts and uncles),and then some exploration...Mt. Rainier, the Ocean...some overnight backpacking, some sea kayaking..that is one option. Or maybe we will go to Washington State for family camping and then head to the Grand Teton Mountain Range for some backpacking...another option. We thought about heading to Newfoundland before this family camping suggestion came up but that is probably off the table now. The other option is we could stay home and do lots of canoeing trips! Mmmmm. I've just been very intrigued by Mt. Rainier now though...that is probably first on the list!

Another Snow Day

What a great day to have a snow day! I was just thinking yesterday that I could use a "personal day" and wouldn't really mind if my sore throat turned into a bad cold so I could spend the day at home! So, spend the day at home I did! But very legitimately and without the bad side effect of having a cold :) Not that I took a break from work - I spent the time very wisely writing report cards and have made very good progress which makes my weekend look less bleak! I've actually had it pretty easy since the Christmas Break - with four snow days and two PD days, the weeks have been broken up quite nicely, with good variety! Now there is a week left until March Break when I will go to Charleston, SC with Pam and enjoy 20 C temperatures! Although it may sound that I'm enjoying my days off too much and that I'm not enjoying my work that is not true at all! However, it is very healthy to enjoy an unexpected day off and to look forward to a long awaited (warm) vacation! March is coming in like a lion that means it will go out like a lamb! Although Ivan and I have a yearly debate wherein he believes the saying is "Go in like a lion out like a lion", or "In like a lamb, out like a lamb" and I believe that it will go out the opposite way it came in. Oh well, a saying is a saying and does not dictate what will actually happen so the debate is really a moot point. Drive safe and enjoy another winter storm from the comfort of your own home! Will tomorrow be a snow day, too???? Let's wait with bated breath...

Winter Camping

Ivan and I went winter camping with some friends this past weekend. We went to the Bruce Trail by Duncan Crevice Caves, on crown land just off the Bruce. We were there on Friday night and Saturday. Friday night we slept in quincy's (piles of snow hollowed out to make a type of igloo...i guess), stood around a fire, cooked and ate dinner (a long process when you are winter camping) and enjoyed a hot drink. Were we cold???? Not at all! Of course it was very cold outside but we were all bundled up in our snow gear! The night went well too. Our quincy that we shared with Alex and Rachel was toasty warm thanks to our sleeping bags and body warmth! My new sleeping bag did its job of keeping me warm down to -20 C! It was also the first chance we had to use my new pack that I got for Christmas! Saturday we cooked breakfast and went for a nice winter hike before packing it all in and heading home! What a wonderfully wintery way to enjoy our Lord's beautiful creation. Of course, we always have a greater appreciation of His gracious gifts and the comfort of home after we spend a few days living outdoors. Enjoy the photos!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a beautiful long weekend! The sun shone, the sky was blue, the temperatures were warm...we couldn't have asked for more. Between Thanksgiving dinners on Friday night and Saturday afternoon and our 2nd :) anniversary on Monday, we had a very busy weekend. To top it off, Ivan left at 3:00 am this morning for a week long business trip to Colorado. We spent the day yesterday in the Niagara region. We visited historic Fort George in the morning, did some wandering in the town of Niagara on the Lake, drove down the Niagara Parkway along the Niagara River to Queenston Heights to see the Isaac Brock Memorial and a key battlefield of the war of 1812, and ended up at Niagara Falls to enjoy the rushing water! We spent a beautiful day together. It was amazing to be outside all day enjoying the sunshine and the sights.