Whirlwind

Life feels as if it is moving faster than the speed of light.  And, I'm ok with that because in six weeks I'll be home for Christmas.  Life can screech to a halt for those two weeks so I can savor every moment.  Carrie Lee and Brian are turning 30, there's the always entertaining annual Locker Room Christmas Eve Party and this year, I'm determined to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Christmas Story House.  As I sit here enjoying a bowl of squapple soup (squash & apple) that was generously shipped to me by my mother, I am daydreaming of her ravioli and Christmas cut-out cookies.  Hurry up, December 21.

Beautiful shot of the Rock Hall at night - hope to take some awesome pics of my own :)

The past month has been a happy blur.  I was able to make a quick trip to San Francisco and it was a blast.  Of course, a long-weekend is never enough time for all that San Francisco has to offer but fortunately, my friends and I have a glorious time catching up whether we're wandering about the Ferry Building or simply hanging out at their home.  We did make it to the Bay Bridge so I could see Leo Villareal's light installation, breathtaking under a full moon.

On my last morning, we took a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to have breakfast at Cavallo Point and we reveled in the most amazing views of San Francisco I have ever seen.

Surreal San Francisco

After San Francisco (and a week of teaching, of course) I worked at the Montana House for one of our Look, Listen and Learn Speaker Events.  It was really nice to see everyone and the talk by Dan Fagre and Adam Clark, "Glacier Park: A Sentinel for High-Elevation Change and Why it Matters" was educational and informative.  After the talk, I had to hightail it back to East Glacier because our first winter storm was brewing.  I'm thankful I had the good sense to check on Lake McDonald before I left.

The highlighted sky

On November 23, the Montana House is hosting Cristina Eisenberg for a talk on her new book due out in the Spring.  The topic of her talk:  "Saving all the Pieces: Large Carnivores in the Crown of the Continent and Beyond." 

So, what's been happening in room 20 at Napi Elementary?  A lot.  First, we had Halloween.  The theme this year was to dress as a character from a children's book so we had many Little Bo Peeps, The Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.  

Who's that in the front, right?  Yes, that's "Alan" from "The Hangover."  This gal tried telling her teachers she was her, "Cousin Alan." Nice try.

My crew during our Halloween Celebration.  

Costume of the year.
I could not stop laughing, especially when this dude galloped in late in the middle of the math lesson.

After all the excitement of Halloween, I could not believe when my phone rang that next Tuesday, "Ms. Rich, bring your class down to the lunchroom, you're all getting a pair of TOMS Shoes."  The students cheered when they heard the news.  We rushed down to the lunchroom to be measured and fitted for our new kicks.

The students were grinning from ear to ear.  I was even smiling because the teachers were included in this Giving Trip as well.  My class did not know much about TOMS as a company so I took a few moments to pull up the website and we read about the history of the company.  We had a nice discussion on how remarkable this company is to include every student in the drop, even teachers, so students who really need shoes are not singled out.  We spent our writing block composing thank-you letters to the company about why we LOVE our TOMS.

Love the guys making a "T for TOMS" with their new shoes!

Sixth grade boys basketball has begun and I am proud to say that just like the girls team, I have several students participating this season.  I may not have mentioned that basketball is a religion in Browning so it is a big deal to work towards playing when they get to the high school.  I stopped by a game for a few minutes to see the guys in action.

The guys (who mention every morning that they are taller than me) are great at rebounding!

Awesome, game!  Hope to make it to a few more.

I almost forgot to mention that in the whirlwind, I also lived through parent-teacher conferences.  The conferences were from 4-7 two nights in a row making for some LONG days.  Our administrators are amazing and provided dinner BOTH nights for us.  I was grateful.  The first night was Pizza Hut and I realized that it was imported from Cut Bank!  Our counselor drove 68 miles roundtrip just to get us dinner.  Wow.  Honestly, aside from the long hours, my conferences were enjoyable.  I love meeting new people and I feel it's important to have a relationship with the families of my students because my students are my family in a way, at least until June, we're one big panda-loving family.

Speaking of panda-loving, my students enjoyed my panda photos so much that the class has almost officially adopted the panda as a mascot.  In the morning, we check the National Zoo's Giant Panda Cam to see if we can catch our furry friends eating.  Most of the time, they are sleeping but always adorable.  We will also participate in voting for the name of the panda cub and celebrate the new name when it is announced in early December.  Cast your vote here:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialreports/name-the-panda/

Whoa!  This bamboo is SO good.  An oldie but goodie from Chengdu.

This week has been a long one and I started off my weekend with a delicious breakfast of oatmeal with huckleberries that I had picked this summer.  YUM.  The snow has started but today I was grateful for the bluebird sky, a grand reward for a trying week.  I was invited for a walk, treated to homemade apple pie and coffee for lunch and as soon as I walked back home, I was invited on ANOTHER walk.  It felt glorious to be outside all day.

Walk 1 - around the East Glacier Golf Course

Walking around East Glacier is wonderful.  And, even though I live alone, I've got these guys looking out for me.  I call them Bill and Ted.

Ted (L) and Bill (R) always seeing me off when I leave and greeting me when I return.  

Living in East Glacier has been delightful.  The community of teachers is warm and friendly and I like our daily commutes, especially the days when I don't drive and sit back with my coffee and enjoy the conversation. With the time change, we see gorgeous sunrises but rely on the moon for extra light at night.  

Just another reason to look forward to December 21.

Natalie