A Change is Gonna Come…

Summer break is drawing to a close and there are big changes on the horizon for my family. I’ll get back to that. 

I have had such a fantastic summer that’s also been a bit of a roller coaster. This year, I decided not to return to my summer job that I’ve had for 7 years. I loved the job and it provided me with extra “summer fun” money but it also required a lot of time away from my family and a lot of time spent with kids, some of who were also my students at school. After 12 years of teaching and 7 years of this summer job, I decided I wanted (needed) a break from everything and took the summer to spend how I wanted. My daughter and I went on several trips, we did a big family vacay, and I got lots accomplished around the house that I had been avoiding. 

We went to Beaufort, NC for a long weekend to explore the sights and the food of the coast. It was beautiful and I can’t wait to go back! 

Then we spent a week driving to art camp and exploring a cool city! Art camp at the Greenhill Center was great and she enjoyed her time there – I enjoyed a new coffee shop each day! 

Our family vacation was so much fun and I loved spending time with my sister and her babies and my mom and dad all under one roof. 

We also went to see The Little Mermaid live and it was awesome! I would have stayed for another showing right then. 

For the first time, I feel like we were able to really make the most of every day of summer break!

Now, getting back to that whole, a change is gonna come thing…

My husband has been working for a company an hour and a half away from home for a year and a half. He loves his job so much and it really shines through in the other parts of his life. We had discussed moving closer but it was not in the immediate plans. But we all know how the best laid plans go. An opportunity was placed in my lap that I could not pass up. An art teaching job at one of the best schools in the state! And it just happens to be in the city he works. It was still a difficult decision and one not made lightly. I have chosen to leave my current school system and my family and I are moving and embarking on this new adventure together. We are excited but also very sad to leave such a great life of having amazing friends and family so close by. Luckily it’s still only an hour away so we will get to visit and hopefully we will get to share our new city with them. 

I think about my students I’m leaving behind and I get so anxious about their future. I hope my quiet, shy students who tear up at a strong “teacher look” continue to gain confidence in themselves with the help of compassionate teaching. I think about the babies who I snuck pencils and crayons and markers and paper to and pray they will continue to get supplies that help them create outside the classroom. I think about the kids that search me out in a crowd for a hug or a high five and they will think I left them without a backwards glance. But then I remember that I work(ed) at the best school ever with the most caring teachers ever and they will get the hugs they want and the supplies they need and the gentle looks and the guiding hand. It’s so hard to say goodbye when you’re leaving something you loved. 

In the words of Sam Cooke:

“There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long

But now I think I’m able to carry on

It’s been a long, a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will…”

Cheers to a new year, new students, new adventures, and an old love for all things ART. 

Summer ending’s got me like…

It’s been such a fun summer and I am not quite ready for it to end but the real world is sneaking up on me fast. 

I went on lots of fun trips with my summer job as an outdoor camp counselor and spent some quality time with my sweet girl. Then about two weeks ago we rescued another little dog from our local humane society. We are topping it off with a week long trip to the beach with the whole family. I *might* be ready for school and Fall when this week is over. But in the words of my nephew, “prolly not.” 😊

Here’s Henrietta Puddles Pierce Osborne! She’s our newest addition and is sweet as pie! She’s an Australian shepherd and Labrador mix and we rescued her from our local humane society. 

I’ll be back when school starts back! 😎

i do it for the $$$

In June, at the end of the school year, I promised myself that I would take a break from the blog this summer. My thought was that at the end of the summer and the beginning of the new school year I would feel a renewed sense of excitement towards art ed and blogging both. 

I think it’s worked! I haven’t looked at any notifications or anything the entire summer and I am so ready to jump back in and share what we will be learning and expiramenting with this year. But since the school year hasn’t actually started, I guess I’ll just have to leave you with this…

  
😇 time to go back to the crazy life!

Summer Adventures! 4.0

This is my fourth year with my local parks and rec dept, working for a program called Challenge. We have kayaked, canoed, fished, hiked, rappelled, climbed, slacklined and zip-lined. It’s such a fun summer job!
But something I’m even MoRE excited about is my upcoming, very first art camp! I can’t wait to get started but it’s not for another two weeks. There is still plenty I have to do to get ready but I will start sharing pictures as soon as I can!
For now, here’s what I’ve been up to…

Time keeps on slipping…

Two more weeks have already slipped by. One week was filled with sparkly tattoos, cinnamon rolls, and fun at the lake.

This past week involved Young Explorers, another round of hiking, canoeing, and archery, and a trip to the Fork Farm in Norwood. We finished it up with a weekend at the beach and some sun, sand, and seafood.

I can hear the minutes ticking by and I’m feeling conflicted! I’ve had a fantastic summer and I don’t want the fun and adventure to end but I’m also ready to see my kids and get back to making some art!

Lounging at Lake Jocassee

My last week of Challenge was probably my favorite. We went to Lake Jocassee and camped at Devils Fork State Park for two nights. Despite a nasty storm on our first night there, it was a great trip and a beautiful place.

Maybe it was because we were there during the week (Wednesday – Friday) but there was very little boat/jet ski traffic. The park has campsites and villas. Our campsites were waterfront and had easy access to put our boats in. We had sites 10, 14, and 15 I think. There were 3, right together. Also, I came home from this trip feeling the cleanest all summer because of the nice bath houses with showers, woohoo! 😜

So, the best thing about Lake Jocassee is that it’s a clear water lake. The water was pretty warm and it was so nice to just hang out and swim and paddle.

One day we went to Whitesides Mtn and hiked. That was an easy hike with beautiful views. It was in Cashiers in NC, I believe. After our hike, we stopped at an ice cream shop in town called Sweet Treats to get cooled off.

It took us about 4 hours to get there but it’s totally worth the drive. I’m already planning another trip to take my family!

The view from our site.

My hammock. I slept like I haven’t slept in WEEKS because of the water lapping at the edge of the lake at night. *heaven*

One of the views from Whitesides Mtn.

No Creeping on the VA Creeper Trail!!!

Another week on the job took me to Damascus, VA. We were originally supposed to go bike part of the New River Trail but because of some mix ups with camping reservations, we ended up at Damascus. I am perfectly happy in Damascus. It’s one of my favorite little adventure towns. They are obviously big on the biking with the Creeper Trail rolling right through town, but they also have climbing, hiking, camping, and fishing. The Appalachian Trail also crosses through Damascus at a couple different spots and it’s home of the Trail Days festival.

I love Mt. Rogers Outfitters – I bought a great AT shirt there this time. I also love Sundog Outfitters, which is where we rent our bikes and use their shuttle service. There’s MoJoe’s coffee shop right next door to that. They have delicious coffee, frappes, and smoothies, as well as homemade baked goods. I had a blueberry muffin and an iced mocha latte this time. YUM. Right down from Sundog is a place called Cowboys. It’s a gas station, I think, plus restaurant. They have delicious tater wedges if you’re in the market for that kind of thing.

One of the best cheeseburgers and/or milkshakes I’ve ever had also came from Damascus. It was after our AT trip last year when we did the Grayson Highlands section and finished in Damascus. I think it’s called Off the Beaten Path and the ice cream shop is separate from the cheeseburger place but the buildings are super close. I was so hungry, I honestly wasn’t paying much attention to anything beyond the food going into my pie hole. I had a black cherry milkshake and a cheeseburger all the way. I can taste it now. Hmmm… Totally worth the 4 hour drive to town. 🙂

So anyway, something new I got to see this time was Backbone Rock. How cool is that?! And people were climbing and rappelling on it! I hope we can make a longer trip of it next time and do the climbing as well as the biking. This was my fifth time biking the White Top to Dam. section. I love it! I love to go fast. I love it when I take my time. I love when it’s hot or cool, Fall or Summer. It’s always beautiful and well-kept and I would love for it to be in my own backyard. Check it out.

 

Sweet Summertime

I’m about 2.5 weeks into summer and its flying by! But I guess that’s what happens when you’re having a great time.
This will be my third summer working for a program within our Parks and Rec department called Challenge. Last week was the boys’ extended and we took them for a two night trip to Emerald Isle and we paddled from Hammocks Beach State Park over to Shark Tooth island. We were supposed to continue on to Bear Island but the wind was just too strong. The kids really enjoyed themselves though and found some awesome sharks teeth and shells!

This week is the girls short week and we are leaving today for the US National Whitewater Center and one night at Crowders Mtn. It’s a new trip for us so we are all looking forward to it but keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t get washed out at the campsite.
We’ve already climbed, rappelled, hiked, and paddled this week…

I hope you’re enjoying your summer adventures like I am! 🙂

Reflections of Summer

Mrs. Osborne and the third graders are SO ready for summer and it’s showing in our sunglasses!
Third started their final project this week by creating some black frames and then making the lenses to in them. They had enough time to sketch out what they had planned in the coming months and we will finish coloring next week. I’m still debating on having them mount the sunglasses to a bright piece of paper.
Ps – If you do this with your kiddos, get your camera ready because they all look hilarious when they finish making the frames and decide to try them on. I’ll share a pic of my “art nerds” tomorrow!

Ugly Cry Face

*Sigh*
It’s here! The first day back. Yes, I am still laying in bed, in semi-denial, even as I write this. When I finish, I will have to throw the covers back, roll out of my warm comfortable bed that I usually lay in until around 8… Or until whenever I feel like getting up, and then start the journey to teaching year number 8!
I really am okay with all of this and am very thankful that I still have a job in today’s economy. But let’s be honest -hanging out, doing whatever you want, is the best thing ever and who would WANT to quit that?

I’m actually looking forward to today. To meeting new coworkers. Working once again with former coworkers that I have missed. Walking into school, knowing that I truly have a home base and I get to go to it every single day! This year will be different but I can’t wait to get started!

SO, I guess it’s time to shut down the ugly cry face before, as my mother always warned, it freezes this way.

Coffee time!