May means testing season at school, which is stressful for the students and the teachers, so the end of testing is such a relief! The atmosphere around school is always more celebratory with the arrival of June because testing is behind us and summer is almost upon us!
C and I both had birthdays in May and we took a quick weekend trip to Canada because I had to sign some paperwork that required a Canadian notary. Not the most fun reason to spend 20 hours in the car, but getting to see C's mom and dad makes that long drive very worthwhile. The fact that Avalanche absolutely loves to be in the car makes every driving trip, including a long one to Canada and back, a little adventure with the stops and the new places he gets to explore.
I had one very sad event and one very joyful event this month.
Kind of sums of the extremes of the human experience for me.
Life punctuated by moments of elation and devastation.
A friend and former teaching colleague passed away on May 22. She was a fellow lover of travel and had visited Antarctica last year. We said several times that we should get together so she could share her experience and help me pack/prepare for our trip to Antarctica later this year. As often happens in life, time marches on and before you know it, months and months have passed. I reached out to her to make a plan for getting together to talk about Antarctica and when we chatted briefly on the phone at the end of April, she shared that she was battling cancer and that she didn't want to surprise me when I saw her because she'd lost all of her hair over the course of her treatments. While I was shaken and saddened by the news of her diagnosis, I was also hopeful because she is one of the strongest people I've ever known. We made plans for me to pick her up so we could go to dinner on May 5 and I was so looking forward to spending time with her. However, she texted me that morning to let me know she had two doctor appointments that day and wouldn't be able to see me. I naively responded, "No problem! We can reschedule! I hope your appointments go well! I'm sending you a huge hug!" followed by a heart emoji and she replied, "Thanks!"
That was the last time I heard from her.
She was kind, giving, hilarious, and loving. Amazingly generous with her time, attention, and skills. When I changed school districts back in 2012, she welcomed me to the sixth grade team with open arms. She baked birthday treats for each member of our pod on our special day, she was an outspoken advocate for students, an incredible teacher, and my partner in crime when we formed an environmental club and walked up and down the road pulling wagons with our students to collect trash and clean up our little neighborhood after school. When our school was shut down and we had to relocate to an alternate setting for four months, she became my neighbor across the hall and we would often chat about all of the places we both wanted to visit around the world. When I wanted curtains for two of my bedrooms and couldn't find ones I liked, she said, "Get the material and I'll make them for you!" And she did. Those curtains are still hanging in those two bedrooms in my house.
I have a lot of guilt about not reaching out sooner than I did. We always think we have time, don't we? We tell ourselves that things will slow down, that we'll get together soon, that there will always be another chance to see each other. And then time slips by, almost imperceptibly, and suddenly you're reading the devastating news that your friend has taken her last breath.
My dear Cyndy, you were a force to be reckoned with and all of us who knew you and love you will forever miss your smile, your fierce adventurous spirit, and your kind heart. Rest easy, my friend.
As for the very joyful event of May, I went back to my former school for the senior graduation walk. This one was particularly poignant for me, as that group of students was my last as a classroom teacher. To see how they have grown, to hear where they're headed in the fall, and to recount stories and memories from our time together in room 204 was amazing. I shed many proud, happy tears, and it really is true that once a kid is my student, they'll always be my student. It was truly a privilege to be their fifth grade teacher and I can't wait to see all of the great things they do as they make their mark on the world.
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| this picture is from 2019 when these two awesome guys came back to visit me when they were in sixth grade |
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| here are the same boys now... time flies! |
I'll wrap it up with the usual collection of pictures, most of which are Avalanche. I'm looking forward to the school year winding down (my last day is June 30) and getting ready for our summer travel!
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| Happy Birthday to my favorite human! |
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| the dog park was empty, so we took him in so he could be off-leash, and he always has to do a full perimeter sweep before anything else LOL |
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| took him to the vet |
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| he was not thrilled to be there |
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| but he behaved perfectly, unlike last time, when we had to sedate him for vaccines and a nail trim! |
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| it helps when we bring his blanket in |
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| I love C's parents...they are my second mom and dad and have loved me since I was 15! |
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| my dad came for a visit and joined us for a walk in the woods |
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| I bought myself a Mother's Day gift in honor of my mom... when we first watched Moana together, she said, "That's how I feel about you," when Moana's grandmother says this, so when I saw this piece, I had to have it because I know she is still with me |
Happy Tails to you!
