Thanksgiving...

Ah, a time for thanks. :) I love Thanksgiving, but with my love of Christmas it's hard for me to focus on the Thanksgiving part. However, this year, it's a little different. I am so very excited to have family coming here for Thanksgiving this year. I hosted it two years ago and I have to say that it was by far my best holiday memory to date. It's hard not to expect the same thing this year. However, I am prepping myself for the fact that it will not be the same. Not everyone is coming and there is no year that could top the one we had two years ago. I loved how everyone was playing games, reading books, going for walks, taking naps, baking cookies...it was awesome! This year will be lots of fun too and I can't wait to see everyone.

My days have been stressful this week because there is no school Thursday or Friday (or Wed. at Eastern), so I have had to schedule in lots of make up lessons and have been working like a dog for the last two days. I started my day this morning by finishing a letter of recommendation I was writing for a student and then started cleaning. It's now 11 am and I have been cleaning since 7:00 am. The deep kind of cleaning where I scrubbed the bathtub and swept the porch. I am so excited for everyone to come. I have some work to do this evening and have rehearsal with students from noon until 1:00 and then lessons to teach from 2:30 until 7:00, so hopefully I can get through them. I am already tempted to cancel my later lessons so I can get home and be here when my family gets here.

Yesterday was a 9 hour teaching day and Monday was about the same. I sure love teaching, though. even the tough days when I feel like a failure and wonder all day why a student just isn't getting it. That can be pretty rough. However, the joy of teaching is worth every minute of the pain of it. I was listening in on Teun Fetz's Intro to Music Ed. class the other day and happened to over hear him talking about the joys of teaching and how fulfilling it is. Even though I had a full day and kind of a rough one, I had to smile and stand a little taller when I heard his words when walking by the door. Yes, teaching is a wonderful thing and so full of gratification.

You know what else is gratifying? My baby boy! :) He's not so much a baby anymore, but I can't believe how much I love him! He is so awesome. I have been prepping him for everyone coming over and we have been looking at pictures so he will remember who they are and have been practicing to say their names. He's saying anything these days. These are the days to be extra careful. :) He is just so full of joy all the time. Well...I guess not all the time, but most of it. :) He dances through life...quite literally. We always have some kind of music going in our house (duh) and he loves to dance and dance and dance until he falls to the floor. He's a natural!

I should go get ready to head up to the school while Ethan is still asleep. I still have a lot to do on the house, but it will have to wait.

I'll post again soon. Maybe after everyone is gone and I'll let you know how it goes.

Jme