Gratitude

Week 1 of summer camp came to a close today.  I have been on the road now for two weeks, and while I’m settling in to this lifestyle, it’s still a bit lonely.  It’s been so long since I’ve been on my own like this, but I’m learning.  Today, my kids helped.

This is why I want to teach kids.  This morning I was greeted with smiles and hugs, the kids were excited to get in the air.  I was feeling rather exhausted after dealing with a week of chaos and tears that came with the job.  At the end of the day, though, we had a little show for our friends and parents, and I was reminded why I love working with kids.  They always amaze me.  They pick up more than I expect, and they are not embarrassed to show their gratitude.  At the end of it, I was surprised by a bag of homemade cookies.

Now I get two days to myself.  Next week: Project Runway.

Sunday

There was a really wonderful moment on the trapeze today.  I could have sworn we took a picture.  I know that we did, because I looked at it and said “I suppose that works.”  But it has disappeared.

So instead I give you the quiet room, and the now still trapeze on which many girls today were fearless.  I will let you imagine any one of them shining.

Sunday

One of the things I love most about teaching is witnessing my students becoming fearless. They are all amazing.

NaKniSweMo Day 6 (or) How I Made A Knitter

I’m showing you progress from last night, but will include numbers for what I managed on my lunch break today.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THESE CABLES!!!!  They are terribly addicting but intricate and I have to pay attention and count constantly because none of the charts are the same number of rows. My size concerns have been alleviated after a few more inches of knitting and realizing the needles and nature of the cables were toying with my mind.  However, I kind of wish it were too small so that it would be the perfect size for…me.  I’m not sure I want to give it up.  The yarn, the color, the cables….. It’s beautiful.

Stitch count so far? About 10, 528  Which puts me *almost* on track with my daily goals (but today isn’t over).

I have about 43,600 left to knit, which makes me 20% complete.  Looking at the sweater, however, I definitely don’t feel 20% complete.   It seems kind of short for 20%.  (Although, I have not actually measured the length thus far)

While I was working on the sweater last night, my friend sat down next to me and held out needles and a cake of yarn.  I taught her how to cast on and do the simple knit stitch, and for the remainder of the evening she sat next to me happily chatting away while concentrating on that stitch.  She would occasionally hold the strip of brown up to her face like a giant mustache and bat her eyes at me.  She didn’t want to leave, she was having so much fun.  It made me happy to have created another knitter.

Together, we will make it!

Sunday

I remembered.

Sunday

I’m back to teaching aerial on the weekends again.  Last Spring, I posted a picture of something we did in class so you could enjoy the experience virtually.  This time around, it’s a bit more difficult.  I’m in the studio for 6 hours every day, and by the end I’m tired and can only think of getting home.  I have a hungry and tired youngling to drag home, feed and bath before bedtime, and I end up massaging my muscles and zoning out on the couch before finally stumbling into my own comfy bed.

This past weekend, I did remember to take a picture for you, but forgot to post yesterday.  So, here it is.  This is a double straddle that I taught my daughter yesterday.  She’s very brave, and remarkably compliant to my strange requests (“Ellette, I need you to stand on my shoulders and untie this” or “Hey Ellette, let’s learn a new doubles trick in the air”).  I am excited to see where she will end up with all of this training.