School's Out!

School is finally out for the summer. I said goodbye-for-now to my students. I'm moving from 4th grade to 5th grade, so I'm excited I'll probably have many of them again.

So now that I have dug myself out from underneath a pile of paperwork, I am making my list of goals for the summer.

1) Spend a month in Thailand writing, relaxing, remembering. I grew up in Thailand, so I'm taking my husband and my daughter back this summer. My parents recently moved back there, so I can't wait to see familiar places. I'm working on a poetry collection of my experiences "between cultures", so I hope to get some inspiration for some poetry there.

2) Catch up on scrapbooking. I still have pictures from last summer that are waiting to be scrapbooked, so I look forward to cleaning it up so I can put this summer's pictures in a scrapbook. My problem is, I don't just throw pictures on a page. I have journal about every spread, so it takes me a lot longer to scrapbook than the average person.

3) Sit outside every evening. I plan to read outside every evening at dusk. I have been doing this a lot lately, and I want to make this a wonderful habit. I can't wait to curl up in my camping chair with a book every night and watch the fireflies flutter through the yard.

4) Work my way through a stack of books that has piled up in my office. I have so many books waiting to be read. I can't wait to have some extended summer reading time. I have many books waiting to be read and blogged about.

5) Write everyday. I have been in the habit of writing everyday, but I feel like I haven't gotten a whole lot accomplished. I am hoping that I will have some more time to really write in the mornings since I won't have to be out the door every morning by 7:15.

6) Learn fifth grade material. I have no idea what I'll be teaching next year--only that I'll be teaching in fifth grade. I have printed several hundred pages of curriculum guides to read. It's not reading that I've been dying to do, but it's necessary. And the fun adventure is that I get to find "good books" that tie in to what I'm teaching.

7) Get my house in order. We are in the middle of two bathroom remodels. We are in the last phase. I also just bought new bedroom furniture. I can't wait to actually have a sink in my bathroom (I've done without for 6 months) and a bed on a frame (we are sleeping on a horrible mattress on the floor).

Addendum:
Well, I've had a little more time to think this weekend. Being truly free of school gives a little more time to think about personal goals. So, here are a few more:

8) Do some day trips close to home. Places I want to go: Green Valley Book Fair (I haven't been in a year--time to go again), Crow's Nest Farm to pick berries, Swinging Bridge Restaurant for a pleasant drive and nice breakfast.

9) Learn how to make pasta. My aunt gave me a pasta maker a year ago and I haven't attempted it yet. This will be the summer to do it.

10) Learn how to make tortillas from scratch. I bought a tortilla press over spring break and haven't used it yet. Cooking is so relaxing for me, so I have two things I need to experiment with!