Hello New Term!

So here we are, halfway through the year, starting Term 2 already. Can you believe it? I certainly can't! Where did the first 5 months go? Wow.

So, all you grads, only 5 months to go before you are outa here! Then real life begins, right? If you feel that Ms. Wadlegger is now going get all teacher on you, you are correct! It just wouldn't be right if I did not give you some advice for the future. Not that I really know anything about life, but I can at least help you steer clear of my past mistakes. Here goes:

1. Although it might be difficult in the moment, know that all things will pass. What I mean by this is that when something horrible is happening to you, eventually it will end and you will see the other side. Trust me, this is true. It doesn't mean that you won't remember the pain and suffering, but that you will survive.

2. Don't waste your time. Do things that you enjoy - don't put if off until tomorrow. If you want to explore the mountain, go do it. If you want to learn how to play the guitar, find someone to teach you. You are the only one who can get off your butt and make it happen.

3. Get involved with your community. Find some way to give back to others and make a difference. You will feel better about where you live and who you are.

4. READ! Books can take you to places you will never physically be able to get to, open your mind to the possibilities and give you inspiration. It doesn't really matter what you read, books, magazines, newpapers, comics, whatever - you will be entertained and since you are not longer in school, you can read whatever you want!!

5. Lastly, take responsiblity for yourself. Don't just sit back and let life happen to you. When something goes wrong, make some changes. When good things happen, celebrate! If you want to accomplish a task, make a plan and work toward your goal. It's all up to you.

Good luck with Term 2.

Sleep Over

Just so you know, adults still do kid's stuff, like have pajama parties! Yes, maybe it's sad, but a group of 40 year old women can still stay up until the wee hours of the morning! We do still have some youth left in us!!

Last Saturday, I met Lorie and Deidre at Lorie's place in Little Fort. We spent the evening drinking, eating and chatting. The next thing we knew, it was 4:30 am - time to finally go to bed. We had a blast reliving old times and catching up on anything new. I really missed Jocelyn and Tracey, though - two other friends from highschool. Joc had to visit her sister and Trace lives in Australia now.

It's interesting to see no matter how many years pass by, some things never change. Good friends is one of those things.

Deidre's comin!

First of all, I must admit, I am a terrible role model. I expect my students to blog twice a week, yet I haven't written since September. BOOOOOO! Bad, bad teacher :( I must apologize, and I will try to do better the second half of the term.

So, I am inspired to write about a high school friend of mine who is coming to visit this weekend. Actually, Deidre arrives today, but I can't see her until Saturday (I have this job that I kind of have to do!) Anyway, Deidre lives in Ontario now and although we keep in touch via email and occasional phone calls, we haven't seen each other for 2 or 3 years.

I remember the first time I met Deidre - we were in Grade 8. I think that she had pink streaks in her hair - well, it was the 80's you know! Deidre moved to Clearwater from the big city of Toronto and seemed a bit shell shocked to be in such a small, country town. She became friends with my good friend Tracey and then we all started hanging out - ahh, good times.

Remember toilet papering Jerry the Moose? And eating chips and dip on the way to see a movie in Kamloops? How about hanging out around Tracey's pool? I'm sure that we will be discussing all this and much more.

Keep posted!

The Bard

So, we are off to see Romeo and Juliet this weekend. I am very excited to see this production at Bard on the Beach in Vancouver - saw Taming of the Shrew in August and it was fantastic. I hear that we will even get to see Romeo's butt!! I'm not so sure that is entirely appropriate for teenagers - but we are trying to expose you to new art forms!!!

I'm also looking forward to the aquarium - gotta love those dolphins - do they still have them there? And of course the laser show will be great - those of you who didn't sign up for the fieldtrip are definitely missing out!

Weekend of Paint!

So, guess how I spend my ENTIRE weekend? Ya, that's right - painting! It started last weekend, taking down the kitchen cabinet doors, sanding and washing them to get ready to paint. Then we spent the next 5 days painting the doors - 2 coats each side. Finally on Friday we were ready to start on the cabinets themselves - I must say I was quite ready to do something different. Saturday was reassembly day - yahoo!! We put on new hinges and knobs - and now it looks like I have a new kitchen - all white and clean and it only took 10 days!!!

Mmm, what should I tackle next?

Oh Happy September!

So, here we are once again, back at school, a little more rested, a little more tanned and hopefully a bit smarter than last September!

I don't know about you, but I had a hard time getting myself excited about the upcoming year - yes, sometimes teachers drag their heels when it comes to school, too! In fact, I was a bit depressed and maybe even angry a couple of weeks ago, when the realization that my summer was over, hit me. :( Thankfully those terrible feelings passed and now I am looking forward to a new year, full of enthusiastic students, new subjects and new assignments.

I had a very busy summer, as I'm sure most of you did. I visited some friends and family in Vancouver and Victoria, marked English 10 Provincial Exams, went to a couple of weddings, hung around Clinton for a couple of weeks, crashed on a mountain bike (still have the scars to prove it), hiked for 7 days in Wells Gray Park, painted my doors, attended AVID training in Chilliwack, saw Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach and got a new niece - that's Cleo in the picture. She is the one with the yellow blanket - not the one with the grey fur!!

Whew - I did all that? Guess that it's time to go back to school and rest up!!

Flying with My Bro

Last weekend my brother Sep picked me up in his plane and flew me home to Clearwater. It was a fabulous weekend for so many reasons, but I just want to talk about flying right now.

So Sep bought a plane last year, but he just put his floats on recently. Sandra and Sami Jo drove me up to Green Lake and Sep flew in to pick me up. It was a fabulous day - sunny, hot and still. Well, I thought that it was fabulous, until we tried to take off - apparently float planes need waves or wind to get up in the air - who knew! Anyway, after shifting all the baggage to the front of the plane (that means onto my lap!) we took off.

We had a fantastic 40 minute flight - over lakes and trees and rivers - doesn't it look magical? I think that the best part was landing on the river - it was a bit scary, but in a good way, you know?!! We circled close to the mountain, turned around and headed straight for the North Thompson River - it was so exciting.

After we landed, we turned off the main river, into a little natural harbour where Sep moors his plane - it's as if the spot was made especially for the plane - the perfect start to a very fun weekend.