Weekend

This is one of the most creative letters I've ever gotten. Yes, it's a letter.

I was pen-pals all summer with one of my old students. We keep writing now even though we're back at school and se each other everyday. Now we can hand deliver the mail. This letter also doubles as a noisemaker. 

Friday night I went to "First Friday" with a group of friends-- a monthly opening of downtown art galleries and studios open to the public. We wandered through different artist's work:

This is part of collection where the artist paints with wax. She has bowls and brushes set up on pancake griddles on her work table. Once it's melted she uses it to paint and adds image transfers, string, buttons, and pictures. We loved that we actually got to talk to her about her whole process.

I really like these pieces:

This isn't "art" but it was my favorite thing we saw:

It made me want to sit down and just start creating something. I need a messy craft table.

This morning I went to a cross country invitational to watch my students run.

I LOVE cross country inivites. The moment when the gun goes off and wave of runners comes over the first hill never gets old. I love that families come out in full force to watch their kids and that I got to meet parents. I love that the rain doesn't keep people away. We're all soaking wet, our feet covered with mud, and we sprint from one spot on the course to another to keep yelling. Every kid gets to race- no one has to wait on the bench for equal playing time. We cheer for these kids and they work hard- digging in on the hills, catching 5 more people, pushing it on the final stretch.

It was so fun to show up and support these kids- some are from last year and some current students. Rachel, the one that told me about the race, has never actually been my student but stops by my room before 5th period everyday to say hi. She won the race!  

Sar drew this picture while she was baby-sitting and we left it for the mat snatchers today. Funny that we all know each other now.