First Day of School

Wow. Today was the first day of school.....again. I can't believe I've already began my second year of teaching. It felt strange, though. Somehow, I didn't feel quite as prepared this year as I was last year. Barbara said that's just because I'm "seasoned" now, which means last year I had no idea what to expect so I felt totally prepared to my best knowledge, but now that I've already been through it once I had a much better idea of what to expect. But, at any rate, it went alright. It was good to see all the returning students. I really missed my 4th graders from last year who moved up to the "big leagues" this year. They'll always be special to me because they were my first class. After school I asked Sean all about them to see how they did. It makes me proud to see how well they're adjusting, but I'm sad that they are no longer mine.

Being the first day of the school year, I want to blog about my goals for this year. Last year, a good friend of mine taught me how important goals were whether they were long term goals, summer goals, exercise goals, or weekend goals - no matter what it is for goals are important because it helps us get where we want to go. Without goals, we won't even end up close to where we hope to be. So I've thought about what I want this year to be, what I want to accomplish, and I've decided that this is the year.....

• This is the year that I'll be sure to spend time every day deepening my relationship with God - even if it means getting up at 4 a.m. to do so.
• This is the year that I plan to make my bed every day, because it makes me feel more organized on the inside! (Mom, I'm sorry it's taken me this long to learn it!)
  
• This is the year that I'll challenge myself and put myself out of my comfort zone, which will start with getting my SCUBA certification and going door-to-door in Kagman.
• This is the year that I'll work really hard to practice my guitar everyday so that I can play at school and at church.
• This is the year I want to unleash some of my creative energy through cooking, writing, or drawing/painting. I'm not quite sure where this will lead, but we'll see.
  
• This is the year that I'll make sure that I do something fun/relaxing every day, even if it's just watching the sunset, going for a jog, or hanging out with friends.
• This is the year that I'll read more.....maybe even a book a month! But for now, I'll just try to finish the 6 books that I've already started!
  
• Lastly, this is the year that I will make an effort to reach out to someone everyday, spiritually or otherwise, through my actions, words or prayers.

I know I've set quite a few lofty goals and I know every day won't be perfect, but I also know that if I have concrete goals to work towards I'll get a lot further than I would without them. I know this year is going to be a lot of fun, but I know it will have it's challenging times, too. However, with my goals in mind, I'll continue to push forward until I reach my ultimate goal!