Bits of things.

You wouldn't know it from the looks of these photos,

but the last 11 weeks have been the most intense, enduring, and stressful of my life.

I went from one placement in a 1st/2nd grade classroom
with a mentor I adore almost as much as my own mother (not really, mom!),

to a 4th grade class at a new school, with a new mentor teacher, and yet another work sample to create and teach.

It's been a whirlwind of constant work, self-reflection, vulnerability, and, sometimes, self-doubt.

I'm doing what I can to get by. Emotionally and physically.

I am doing my best to fulfill all of my requirements, while doing it creatively, thoughtfully, energetically,

and somehow find it within myself to also be all of those things at home with my family.

The balance is not easy, but, perhaps anything truly worth pursuing should have some sort of intense struggle.

Who knows what I'm talking about. 

I'm tired. I should be sleeping, but I thought it was about time to update this ol' thing.

These photos give a little glimpse of the past few weeks.

Last week Ramona's grandparents took her across the state to stay with them,

giving us some much needed time to both relax/have fun, as well as work freely on things we needed to finish up.

I brunched, biked around the city, went dancing, and arguably could've/should've worked more, 

but my spirit needed that little bit of fun more than I needed to type a few more pages.

I valued that time more than I can even say, 

but after five days, I was sure ready to see my little lady again.

I graduate next weekend, WITH A MASTER IN TEACHING (!!!!!!!!!!!!),

although it seems a bit false since I have eight more weeks of school with my students.

I'll get there, and by then it'll be SUMMER.

For now, this gorgeous Northwest Spring weather is doing amazing things for my mood and energy.

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