Why hello there readers and fellow bloggers!  It’s been exactly one month since my last post.  Yikes!

I’ve spent about all that time trying to feel better.  I’ve missed school due to illness, workshop, and personal days.

I’ve watched basketball, coached basketball, watched an indoor track meet, and graded papers.

I’ve cooked, cleaned, done laundry, helped take care of a sick wife and daughter.

And I’ve felt like crap.

There are so many happy thoughts that I’d love to have written about, but just haven’t had the energy open the blog up.  I’ve not taken notes, made voice memos, none of it.  I’ve been lucky to keep my head almost above water at school (nose is still sticking out) and I know my teaching has suffered.  I didn’t go to the doctor during my first sickness in early January, got better, then the fever flared back up, and I’ve battled a cough and congestion ever since.  It’s happened right in the midst of our “get healthy” kick at school, so I’ve been useless for our team, but yet have lost ten pounds since the beginning of the year.  I’d love to say it’s because of healthy living, but being sick helps to keep the calories down.

Yes, yes, enough about your blues.  Everyone’s got them!

Well, I am writing because I do finally feel better.  I’m knocking on my counter right now because I said that last week, then suddenly started feeling yucky again.  But today, I’ve felt like myself, which is hard to imagine.

Happy thoughts you ask?

Plenty:

– My job title is swtiching.  I’m going to continue teaching sixth grade, but will be moving with the sixth graders to middle school and picking up sections of 8th grade reading.  Am I ready for this change? Yes.  Have I developed a ton of nerves about it? Heck yes!  However, after 17 years in the same classroom, it’s time to switch things up.

– My oldest daughter spent a weekend with other high school girls who are looking at engineering as a profession at Iowa State.  She got to attend classes, meet professors, talk with other students, and realize that she’s not alone in wanting this.  She’s currently in a high school engineering class (Project Lead the Way) with all boys.  It was wonderful for her to see the opportunities avialable to her and for her to meet “someone more socially awkward”  than she is! 🙂

– Basketball is done. I love the sport, but needed a bit of a break.  We had a heck of season with 19 girls, and I’d rank this team in the top 5 of teams I absolutely enjoyed coaching.  They are 8th grade girls so we had our moments both with parents AND players, but I’d coach them again in a heart beat.  They are a great combination of positive energy, grit, and a desire to be coached.  It’s hard to find that anymore, so when you do, you keep going!  I’m not sure what next season will bring, if I’m coaching again or not (I missed three of my daughter’s games), but if I end with this group, that’s a pretty good way to go out.

– I’m in the midst of a blending learning/flipped classroom cohort that is awesome.  It’s something I really see working well for my 8th graders next year as I won’t have a ton of time with them.  It will be great to see this technology put to use for the good of my students, the good of the curriculum, and to be able to dig deeper into what we are doing.

– And finally, my Iowa Hawkeyes won six in a row, and created a resume good enough to play in the NCAA tournament.  I’m listening to them starting to take it at Davidson, putting up eight straight points and leading by 19 right now.  The Iowa Women’s Basketball Team won their first game which is great for their four seniors still playing.  Northern Iowa won, and Iowa State lost! If those are happy thoughts, I don’t know what are! 🙂

So, I’m back, I’m posting, and I’m finally feeling like me.