Saturday, August 2, 2014

Celebrating - Small & Big Things

      Time again to celebrate with Ruth Ayres for Celebration Saturday! Visit here for all the posts. Like always, thanks Ruth for starting this community!


     Still sharing a little more of our trip to Captiva Island. It was a wonderful week, and I celebrate that my children and their families are able to join me each summer.
Most evenings we found a special restaurant for dinner.
This is everyone but me, after eating, full and happy!



There is so much beauty to enjoy, including the flowers.
I have many sunset pics, and one magical night I actually
saw the green flash! Couldn't ever capture it with my camera, though.
This is the view from our upper balcony. 
Tuesday was Imogene's third birthday, and
I wrote a post for her then, but Wednesday is
when we really celebrated. Here she is, dipping
into the cake! (She doesn't like ice cream.)

I don't really need a new journal, but at Target today,
when looking for something else, this little notebook
leaped out at me! Remember, my OLW is wander? It's been
quite a summer of wandering, so now it's time
to do some word wandering, right? I celebrate the
inspiration this will be.



          It feels as if I don't have much time left until work begins. I celebrate the good time I had with colleagues this week while interviewing to fill a position recently vacated. While we will miss the wonderful teacher who's leaving, those of us on the committee are excited about this person we met this week who will be our new colleague. At school, the candidates interview, then teach a lesson with students who are willing to come in to be the 'class'. These students give us feedback, too. After all, they will be spending more time with this new teacher than we will!  And I celebrate this first time working with our new head of school. It was a pleasure. I'll be in next week for a while, meeting again with a teacher or two, and working a little in my office, thinking...  Wandering around in my mind is part of the prep too!
         

34 comments:

  1. Your photos of family and Captiva are wonderful. I have only been once but it is beautiful- the sunsets are truly spectacular. I love Imogene's rainbow cake too... who made that?
    And who can resist a new notebook? I don't have much time left either this summer... we start meetings in 11 days!

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    1. The cake, 'rainbow cake', was made by a bakery. Yes, love those sunsets on the ocean, and I am excited about the notebook! We start officially on the 20th, but I'll be in & out from now on.

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  2. Full and happy summer days. I am glad your olw 'wandering' has guided you well this summer. Wishing the best to Imogene. I look forward to reading what essentials and what new ideas will guide you at the beginning of the school year.

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    1. I think my posts will be more school oriented now, Terje. My list grows with projects to do! Thank you!

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  3. I've been wandering too some this summer. Love sharing these travels with my cyber-buddies. Maybe I need to go to Target and watch a journal leap off to me. Isn't it fun how synchronistic the world can be?
    School starts for me next week. Am I ready?

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    1. Wow, next week seems early! Hope you are ready. I'm doing some planning work today, organizing at home! Good luck at Target!

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  4. I have so many favorite memories at Captiva. The sunsets and shell collecting are the BEST! Thanks for sharing about your interview process I love this idea "At school, the candidates interview, then teach a lesson with students who are willing to come in to be the 'class'. These students give us feedback, too. After all, they will be spending more time with this new teacher than we will! ." What an impressive process!

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    1. We didn't have the time this time, but often students do part of the interviewing too. We really value what they think, and this means all ages when needed. thanks, Maria. Yes, Captiva is just awesome!

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  5. It seems like such a nice time with your family on vacation. I love that rainbow cake! I never seem to need new stationary or journals, but I always seem to be buying new ones anyway. I think this one seems perfect for you! I hope it is inspirational for your word wandering. Have a great week!

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    1. We did have a great beach vacation, Andrea! The cake was awesome, & delicious, which counts too! Yes, I shouldn't even enter the journal aisle! But it was a nice surprise. Thanks!

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  6. What a wonderful and democratic procedure for hiring new staff! That's what we do in college too, and seeing candidates teach and interact with students makes a real difference. That rainbow cake is very exciting!! It looks like a wonderful time was had on vacation. What a terrific tradition to have with your family.

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    1. It was indeed a good week, & we are happy to have found such a good candidate for the teaching position. Thanks, Elisabeth!

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  7. I do really enjoy reading your posts! Glad you had many more family and friends moments. And I always think its cool when we're reminded of things we said we'll do in odd places- like being reminded of your OLW at Target!

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    1. Thanks Earl, love that serendipity! I appreciate reading what you share, too! Maybe someday I'll get to Portland!

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  8. Linda! Captiva is beautiful. I had to look it up, so I too can experience this lovely place! (Some day.) Thank you for sharing your family celebrations with us! I too am intrigued and excited by your interview process, I love the idea of receiving feedback from the kids!

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    1. So happy you looked up Captiva, and hope you'll be able to visit there or Sanibel someday, Kendra. It is a delight. Perhaps I will write a longer post about our interviewing. More than one has seemed to say it's different. Sometimes the students share some things we don't notice, so we do value their words very much. Or, sometimes we're all in agreement about a candidate. That's good, too. Thank you!

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  9. I'm curious, Linda. What is the green flash? Your pictures are beautiful and I love your new journal from Target. Never enough journals, I say!

    Jennifer
    Sweet Writing Life
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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    1. Thanks Jennifer-yes, never enough journals! The green flash is a phenomenon that happens just the second before the sun's rim completely disappears. If you're watching without blinking, you can see it. It's bright green, and it is there. It's taken me a while to see it after so many sunsets. I've only heard of it happening on the ocean's horizon, sunset or sunrise.

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  10. What a wonderful vacation and that notebook is perfect! I'd of bought it too! I have only heard of the green flash happening over the ocean. I wonder if it has to do with reflections. Hmm, I think I'll google it!

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    1. Yes, it's something to do with the humidity & the refraction factor, I think. Thanks, Julieanne.

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  11. I'm so glad you had time at the beach with your family. It's interesting to hear everyone comments about gearing up for school. I have lots of projects to see me through the early weeks of fall and a kitchen remodel coming up in 2015. Love your comment about the heron taking flight being a sign of luck, I've never heard that.

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    1. I think it was my grandfather who first told me about the heron, Ramona. He knew all kinds of stories like that, was superstitious. Yes, I imagine this year will seem a little weird for you, but keep on with the projects. I'll be following behind you soon, & will watch to see what you do! Thank you! So nice to hear from you!

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  12. Gorgeous photos, beautiful family and wow, what cake! So pleased your time with family was so wonderful.

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    1. Thanks Carrie-it was a great time! Wouldn't it be fun to make such a cake!

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  13. Clearly you had a wonderful time. The pics are lovely!

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    1. Yes, it was a special week! Thanks, Iza! Hope your time continues to be good, too!

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  14. Your time with your family is special, indeed. I hope that we can establish a similar tradition with our grown up children. It's hard to believe that it's time to get back into the school groove. Good luck with all those preparations.

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    1. Thanks Julie. Someday, you'll have such a tradition, I'm sure. With families spread apart, it's a joy to be together in a home. And we do get together at my house too, but then everyone is off seeing old friends, etc. Fun, but not quite the same.

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  15. Loved seeing photos of your family vacation. It is always a celebratory time being reunited with family and the bonus for you was the surroundings of Captiva Island.

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    1. Thanks Carol, as you can see, it was a lovely week.

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  16. Linda, after reading your lovely post last night, I decided it would be a positive move to celebrate my week at Ruth's site (which I just became acquainted with because I was reading your blog posts).

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    1. Terrific, Carol. I hope you enjoy these Saturdays!

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