Merry Christmas!

It's so hard to believe that half of a school year has already passed, along with a quarter of our anticipated time here in Hawaii. Courtney and I both found ourselves a little emotional at school yesterday as our kids headed home for the holidays. Two of my students won't be back (making 5 lost students this year), and about half of them will be with a different teacher next semester as we implement a new curriculum, so it was tough saying goodbye.

As a teacher I've grown tremendously, but I can still readily see my glaring deficiencies and the areas in which I struggle. This is truly a physically and emotionally exhaustive job - one that brings with it both joys and sorrows each day. It's also a job that never ends. I was talking to my friend Christina on the phone a few months ago and was reminded that some people, maybe even most people, are able to leave their jobs at work when they go home. My, would that be nice. My anchor of sanity through this has been sharing the experience with Courtney. It's been wonderful having a confidante going through the same emotional roller coaster every day.

I'm leaving Hawaii tonight for the first time in four months for a much-needed vacation. My redeye flight will take me to Houston via L.A. where Dad will pick me up and take me home to Hathaway. Mom has 30 lbs of crawfish waiting, and I'm looking forward to recuperating some of the weight I've lost during marathon training. From Louisiana I'm headed to Jackson Hole, WY, on Dec. 27 for a few days of skiing with Courtney's family. Then it's Atlanta for New Year's Eve with Christina and Matthew on the way to NYC for a week. Florence, SC, will be next for our engagement party and other wedding planning fun. Finally, we'll be hitting Las Vegas by storm for two nights on our way back to Hawaii.

Whew, and I thought this vacation was going to be relaxing :)