Yes, I am still here!

Hi everyone! We had so much fun on Thanksgiving. What a great time! Playing hostess for the first time was GREAT, and very rewarding. Mom and Andrea were very gracious to not miss doing all the work for the first time. We all helped each other and everything turned out WONDERFUL.

It was so much fun having Susie and Dan here all week. They were so happy here with their sisters. I can't begin to tell you all the things we did, and we basically didn't do anything special at all--just hung out as a family. It went too fast.

I have been called in to sub just about every day this week and next. I am so tired! But it is fun. The kids are great. The school is so small! Only 400 kids 9-12. I basically know all the 9th graders already since that is where I have been subbing the most. I have been in history, english, math and ceramics. Next week I get to try out PE and another English class.

I guess I am doing ok--the kids seem happy, and they do the work, more or less. The principal came in to say hello to me the other day. About halfway through the conversation I realized he was interviewing me, and I was sort of mindlessly shooting the breeze. Later I kind of freaked out about that but figured I had more or less been intelligent and thoughtful in my answers.

Next week Aidan is going to try out for cheerleading. Alannah came home very excited about playing volleyball in gym--I think she really liked it, and was suprirsed she liked it. The kids in Winsted are very into sports and extracurricular activities. The girls' friends are inspiring them!

This weekend Scott and I have a very rare date day. We have tickets to the Pitt/UCONN game. Dad is meeting us at Andrea's in Albany Saturday morning and is going to spend the day taking the girls around Albany and to Howe's caverns. We will pick the girls up and Andrea's on Sunday. I can't remember the last time we had a free night without kids!

Christmas is hurtling toward us now. It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over.

More later......