Epiphany!!!

I have been so busy that I have neglected you, my blog. I am sorry, but now I am back. On my run yesterday (4 miler) I had a vision. The reason I have been struggling trying to find a writing intervention to use with my students is because I haven't written one yet!! I have decided to plan and create my very own writing intervention for students that score below basic on the PAWS writing assessment. The idea is to teach students the skills they need to show growth during progress monitoring. In order to do this, the fidelity of the intervention has to be consistent. I haven't been able to find an actual writing intervention that I can record data for accurate results. Until now! I have decided to create an intervention aligned with my school and district's curriculum and create a binder showing the step by step the process I used. I am so inspired and feel like this is my role in the district. A pseudo-curriculum writer!! Hooray!

We only have 16 days of school left until summertime!!! I am so excited for the break. My principal caught me this morning walking in and told me her gut feeling is that they are opening up the position for next year! She also said they have to interview all applicants, which means I would still have to interview. But, the good side to that is I have already been doing the job all school year this year--so I am the only person this time who has experience. I have home court advantage. I feel in my heart of hearts it is now my time to shine. This will be my year to get that contract. I just know it.

Well, for now...

until next time.

I am back!!

So I haven't posted since Nick and I went to Spring Creek Ranch for our weekend get-a-way. That Saturday morning I ran 8 miles with my friend Katie. Woke up that Sunday and had pulled my hip-flexer, to the point that I was limping a little up until this past Wednesday! So, with little guilt I took the week off from all exercise trying to get that hip-flexer back into shape. I think it was pulled from over-use. Last time I had issues with my hip was when I hiked up Table Mountain-12 miles round trip! So needless to say, this weekend I was extremely antsy! I

wanted to get out and run so bad, but did not want to further injure myself. On Saturday I went into the gym and did a great workout, and my girlfriend Kari and I hiked up Mud Lake. This felt fantastic!

Mud lake is super steep in spots. It is a great hike because of how steep it is. The hike really stretched out that hip-flexer and I woke up Sunday feeling pretty darn good. I am back!! Running and weight training look-out! Sunday afternoon I went for an experimental 3 mile run and felt great. The hip is a little sore today, but today I do not run. Instead, I go back to the gym for an hour or so weight training. Tomorrow I will try and run 3-4 miles. I kind of had to take a step back to recoup. Hopefully if I take it easy I can try for 8 again this Saturday.

This is a snapshot of my very first homemade heart healthy pizza! I made from scratch the whole wheat dough, topped it off with spicy turkey sausage, and made a wonderful tomato sauce with tons of garlic and red pepper, then topped it off with bocolini and low-fat sharp cheddar cheese. It was a hit, Nick ate FIVE pieces!! I guess the heart healthy wears off if you eat five pieces, but it had been so long since we ate pizza!! And it was so good, If I do say so myself. I was joking around and said I needed to open up my own restaurant and Nick's reply was, "Naw, then you wouldn't like to cook at home." I thought that was funny. Nick would rather me be home cooking for him and that way he doesn't have to share. Flattering in a way. Love that husband of mine!

Until next time..

Our Spring Creek Ranch get-a-way.

Nicky and I decided we both needed to take a weekend and spend some together time rekindling. We found a great deal at Spring Creek Ranch. When we arrived and checked into the room I was fully impressed. The rooms had the most amazing views of The Tetons I had ever seen. The back deck looked out over a huge valley. The room also had a huge stone fireplace. Super relaxing. We had dinner reservations at The Granary and I had the elk tenderloin. The entire meal was so relaxing. We stopped in the bar before dinner to have a couple of cocktails. They were serving strawberry and jalapeno infused tequila to make the most amazing margaritas! Yum! We were the only ones in the entire place so it was very mellow. I could actually feel stress melting away. I could see Nick was also starting to relax. The views outside the restaurant were stunning, and the entire wall of the building was made of glass so we could look out. There wasn't a bad seat in the house. Truly an amazing experience. After dinner we took a soak in the hot tub and looked out over the Spring Creek pond, with the sounds of a babbling creek nearby. Nick is such a great person to spend time with, my best friend. We love and enjoy the same things. I love being married to him and feel really blessed, especially this weekend. (Awe..heart-warming.)

The next morning we ate the most delicious breakfast, soaked in the hot tub watching the morning wake up, and then went 'drivin round' looking for wildlife. Nick was my tour guide. He claimed he would show me wildlife and boy did he get lucky. We saw several herds of elk super close to the road, as well as, a bison crossing the road as we drove by! It was great, it reminded me of when I was younger and my granddad would take Jeff and I to the wildlife refuge to "grind up smoke". I came home with a grin from ear to ear. Great weekend. Hope to go back every year.

Until Next time..