Of Heating Pads and Ibuprofen

There has not been much knitting, photography or carving/letterboxing going on at my house of late. Mostly there's been time spent with the heating pad and waiting for the clock to catch up for my next dose of pain killer.

Turns out I have either sprained my lower back or have a herniated disc. (Won't know for sure for another week or two. Have to jump through the right hoops for a while before the insurance company will pay for the MRI to make the diagnosis.)

I went to physical therapy last Friday and had a wonderful time soaking in the heat and electrical stimulus. That led to a pretty decent weekend. (I went grocery shopping!) But I am uber sore again this morning.

My first three days with the school district were spent in training. Today will be my first day in the building. I am looking forward to meeting some students!

A New Path

At least once a month for the past 5 1/2 years since I left the ministry someone asks me if I miss it.

The simple answer is no, I do not.

The longer answer is that I will likely never miss "the church" as an institution. But I do still connect with one of the prime motivating factors that lead me into the ministry in the first place: a desire to help others.

That desire to help is now leading me in yet another direction, down a new path!

I gave my two weeks notice to the newspaper on Friday. The September issue of the magazine will be my last. I have accepted a position as a Literacy Associate with the local public school system! I will be working with children in grades Kingergarten through 4th on reading and writing skills in conjunction with their classroom teachers.

I have always believed in the value and power of education, the foundation of which is literacy. I will be working with kids on the whole spectrum--those who have fallen or are on the verge of falling behind to those who are already achieving beyond grade level expectations.

I'm really excited about this change and opportunity! And it will be nice (if not tiring, and at times frustrating!) to feel I am making a difference in the lives of others.

Lost: Mojo

Yes, something seems to be missing. Alas, it's my mojo.

I have been getting some knitting done. (I've nearly completed the shawlette in the Knit Picks Chroma which I showed you a while back. Also completed 2 pairs of socks and working on another.)

I finished the books for my book clubs (even led the discussion on Stephanie Kallos' "Sing Them Home.")

Made a new recipe, Almond Bars, to serve @ book club. (Think the delicious filling in Dutch letters. Super yummy all on their own, but really sinfully delectable with almond tea!!) [Thanks to DD's infusion nurse, Laurie, for that recipe!]

Have been geocaching. Went to our first event over the weekend (despite foggy weather that looked slightly threatening.)

Have been carving stamps for letterbox caches and/or letterboxing. (Related to geocaching, but different.)

Went to DS's induction into National Honor Society. [kudos Christopher!!]

I don't know what it is about this blog though.....for some reason I just couldn't motivate myself to get in here, sit down, and write anything about something.

So, if any of you happen to spot or come across my blogging mojo, I'd be glad to get it back. Drop me a line if you find it!

Thanks!

Life Is . . .

. . . strange? odd? weird? funny? full of karma? short? meant to be shared? a gift? exhilirating? pointless? a circle? better with coffee/chocolate/(your favorite here)?

You pick the word to complete the phrase.

How we answer says everything about who we are or where we are on the journey at that given moment.

I also believe the answer changes--sometimes rather frequently.

Having my DD home on fall break makes me happy. It also reminds me that I do, sometimes, worry that I'm starting to lose my cognitive skills as I venture full-steam-ahead into pre-menopause. (I'm told this is normal and everything will be ok once I reach the other side. I hope so. Some days I feel like a freaking idiot!)

I went to a knitting class last Wednesday evening where I and two of my knitting pals are learning to make thrummed mittens. I would post a picture, but I've decided I need to visit the frog pond and redo a bit before I show you. My thrums are courtesy of an alpaca named Cocoa. They are beautiful and so, so soft!!

At the class I met a couple lovely ladies from Pocahontas (where said class was taking place at Ewephoria Yarns....the best LYS ever!) I would really like to get to know them better, especially Jane who I sense has a lot of life wisdom and some great stories to share.

This is the best part of knitting to me. Don't get me wrong, I like the actual knitting: the tools, the lovely fibers, the act of creating something. But I also appreciate knitting's ability to create connections between people, often people who might not ever meet otherwise. It's a lovely, serendipitous thing to watch happen and I've learned to go with it and enjoy the ride. (Clearly, because this post started out with my intention to tell you about the Cat Bordhi video I watched thanks to Lucy Neatby's blog wherein Cat demonstrates the ability to knit while walking, swinging, sliding and climbing trees....thus enticing people to get up out of their knitting chairs, turn off the tv and get active while knitting.)

We will be venturing back to Pocahontas Wednesday evening for part two of our class. I do hope that Jane and Virginia come again so that we can visit!