We did It!

They are here. My beautiful bambinas have arrived. They are so wonderful and smart and good. I am still in a euphoric sort of love daze. It's a drunkish sort of love mixed with pure gratitude. Duncan has become the family mascot and evereyone is getting along swell. Robert has them with him right now at Sudanese church and will keep them with him later in the evening, while I'm at my parents' for family poker night.

Some observations that fit right in with my recently formed theories on the universal nature of our homo-sapien species:

1. They are typical sibilings--they compare gifts, bicker, and compete with each other.
2. I feel a devotion and visceral defensiveness on their behalf that must be based on the year I've spent preparing for "my children" to arrive.
3. It feels like the ropes that hold my marriage together have suddenly been shot through with pure steel. We have been made stronger and brought closer.

Ahhhh--relief. I pray thank-you many times each day.

Hell Ya

Watched the women's final Wimbledon match yesterday morning. Was it ever close. Every single day there's more bad news from Robert in Kampala. There are so many legal hurdles. It's tempting to let my hope burn out already, and start preparing myself for severe disappointment, but yesterday I convinced myself if Venus could pull it off, so can we--we'll find a way to bring our girls home.

praying for a series of fortunate events

I am praying for a series of about six little miracles in the next five weeks. I am clinging to a thread of faith that regardless of how everything happens, our beautiful little family will arrive in Salt Lake City on July 9th, 2005. And, I must admit, that slender thread of faith also acknowledges the possibility that things won't work out, and prays I will be strong enough to handle it.

Miracle One: That Robert's passport and visa to enter Uganda will arrive here before next Saturday, so that he can leave next Sunday.

Miracle Two: That the traveling documents, which are like passports for refugees, will be granted to our three girls before Robert arrives in Kenya.

Miracle Three: That on June 10th the judge in Kampala will award Robert guardianship.

That's enough miracles to pray for, for now.

slow cooking delicious pork

Perhaps it's partially because I bought a new cookbook, bought all the ingredients, and spent some serious time cooking, but I think this recipe I tried today was absolutely incredible. It was an asian pork dish that I made in the slow cooker and served over rice. It had garlic, ginger, hoisen sauce, carrots, broccli, cinnamon, clove, and soy sauce. It smelled yummy and tasted even better. I want to make a page linked to the family site that has favorite recipes and quick meal ideas. My new recipe book is for healthy, slow-cooked meals. I love the crock pot.

Robert has been sick for almost a week. He came home early from the Marriot Library today and slept for several hours. I hope he starts feeling better soon.

longweekend soon?

I know teachers are spoiled and get plenty of days off, but I am in desperate need of another long weekend. Spring Break wasn't even that long ago, it's just that with the sunny weather and all the stress these days---I could really use an extra day to recover.

Only about six more weeks of school. I'm getting better at letting go of all the kids at the end of the year. It's becoming part of the whole teaching cycle---new ideas and new kids in fall, hard work all year, and then a spring harvest of students that have grown and finally letting them fly away. The teaching cycle doesn't fit with any other seasonal cycles---but adding those biological analogies helps me see how it's okay for them to move on.

spring cleaning sunday

Well--the sliding glass door drama is finally over, I think. Robert put up some flippy white plastic blinds behind my shimmery gold curtains so that it can be very dark and feel very private. He also took off all the metal rings at the top of the gold curtains. They still look fine. So---he's happy, I'm happy, and we have a nice enough window covering. I'm just glad the whole thing is finished.

The grass is coming in the back yard nice and full, the willow tree already has thousands of little green leaves and the birch tree has buds. We need to mow the front lawn, but we have spent the day cleaning inside, instead.

sad elephants

One of my cutest, sweetest, fourth grade students took ten, very long, emotional minutes to tell me that another student called him an elephant. I was so angry at that other student. He's my new BD kid, though, so I let all my anger go and turned the incident completely over to the office. I warmly welcomed him back to class when Mrs. Price was finished with him.

Partnering

Well. I am not a patient person. Which makes it hard for me to be a team player. And the three person upper grade team next year is going to require my utmost patience. But, I'm not bad at talking a good talk.

The truth: I think things with Jen and Mark next year will be okay. If pushed by nothing more than the fact that Mark loves me, we'll work stuff out. He's even decided on Macbeth---which is exactly what I wanted! I'm optimistic, right now, about the plan, which I might start refering to as THE BIG IDEA. Going into that meeting this afternoon, I wanted my boss to just pull rank and make some assignments already. And I was ready to just deal with how much I'd probably hate how those chips might fall. But she's a much better leader than that---she helped us come up with something that will be really good for everybody and might be really good for every kid. A true win-win-win plan.

Exciting things to consider: a "high" reading class, teaching 5th grade math, all the 5th grade science and social studies core, bringing Mark into our upper grade team, Shakespere, graduation, 5th grade dance!

Fun Times Ahead.

new sports equipment

Looks like I may very well end up teaching either a 3/4 split or a 5/6 split again next year.

It seems that since the written agreement makes provisions for teachers to not be required to teach splits every year, that the district ought to kick for two teachers per grade every year. IMHO.

None of the configurations for next year look very exciting. I'll make myself get more excited, if I must, but for now I'm just in a foot stamping mood.

Orphans

I've picked up a bad habit from Count Olaf (from reading the books, not watching the movie). I refer to my nieces as "The Orphans". I think its funny how Olaf says it about the Baudelaires---"HELLO, HELLO, HELLO, Orphans!!" But, my nieces are real little girls that have lost their mother. They have experienced real life tragedy, not just an entertaining, made-up series of unfortunate events. Maybe the whole adoption thing isn't real enough, for me, yet. I haven't really taken in the fact that these three real little people might soon be part of my immediate family (!!!???). That reality is too big and scary and complicated to digest and so I think of it like a story, like I'm a villanous Aunty Olaf or something funny and ridiculous.

Here are some of the things I most look forward to about adopting three half grown Sudanese women:

1- Girl Scouts
2- Family Vacations
3- Simbe the dad
4- Three new young friends
5- Blossoming bi-cultural identities
6- powerful tides of sisterly love
7- introducing them to the beautiful, rich culture of these United States
8- A house full of chatter
9- Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
10-high school and college graduations

performing identities

Audrey encouraged me to consider doing some sort of "masters degree final project" in lieu of comp exams. Or at least in lieu of the full size comp exams. An exciting idea is percolating along these basic lines: This summer I'll take a group of twleve or so of my students that are going to be sixth graders next year and we'll use that digital video recorder that the school bought and make autobiographical documentaries. I can use the writing/theory work that I've done in some of my classes to frame the project and even to develop some strong curriculum. Hmmmm. Maybe I could write a small grant to fund the project.

One thing I'm not sure how to work out is the isolation of such a project. There will be these twelve incredible students, of course, but I would love to do the whole project with another adult partner as well. But I can't imagine things working out if my partner is somebody from the U who doesn't have any history or passion or commitment to these particular kids. Plus, if it's "my project" why would anyone else want to get involved? Maybe if the grant comes through and we're both getting paid (??) but I need someone who has some background in the theory/rationale for the whole project as well. Tricky. Maybe I do it alone. Or maybe I just consult with Audrey. I should email her about this idea.

plural murder

i think it's such a catchy, excellent title, that i have to write the book just so that there will exist in this world a book with such a great title.

The first session of our writing club, yesterday, was very cool. I'm psyched and wrote another one and a half pages this evening. my goal is twleve by our next session.

I'm a bit nervous because I don't think I can handle very harsh criticism at this fledgling stage I'm in right now. And---I think it might be too hard to revise and write new material at the same time. I need support and encouragement and accountability and goals, and not a whole lot of critique, yet.

Teaching

My sister-in-law is starting a new business venture which includes some very cool, very original ideas. I keep on imagining myself as some sort of entrepenuer. I certainly have some of that risk loving/leadership skills and a creative spirit in me. But I really love teaching. It's very challenging and rewarding. It's the perfect combination of all my passions and interests. I'm an anthropologist, librarian, mathematician, writer, and psychologist every day. And I get to believe that I'm somehow working for social justice. Little human creatures are sufficently complex organisms to keep me enthralled for at least another decade.

Fun Show

Maybe Simbe will come watch Duncan in a "fun show" today---which means that are no points to be won, just practice prancing around the ring with Candi. But even if Simbe doesn't come, we'll have some good Amy and Duncan fun. And, after I am going to Teresa's house to visit with my friends for our monthly women's spiritual group meeting.

Oh happy day.

tendonitis

There is this very important tendon that runs along the arches of your feet. Its job is to help support the arches of your feet. This tendon attaches to your heel bones and on my feet this tendon is being over strained---creating a bone spur to develop and causing inflammation throughout my feet. So, according to my new foot doctor, he simply makes some casts of my feet, sends these mini foot statues to Washington state, and the folks up there will make me some customized arch supports to put into my shoes. The result, according to this new foot doctor, will be relief for my whole feet. I am tentatively hopeful about this simple "cure" for the chronic pain in my feet. It will take about three weeks to get my new arch supports. I'm trying to decide if I should try to stay off my feet in the meantime, or just take the pain and walk Duncan anyway.

In other news---this tutoring program the second grade teacher Heather and I developed is FABULOUS. I am very excited by how empowering and just good good good it has been for both our little and our big students. They are such cute "teachers".