Scattered thoughts

It's been a while since I've written. I have so many different components in my life, it's hard to get one theme down in any given post, so I've been avoiding it. And I've been busy! I've been doing 3 or more days of subbing at 3 different school districts.

I'm finishing up coaching the dance team. This coming Monday is the Strut Your Stuff show, a fabulous end to our great season. There will be 16 routines, which includes their 2 "award winning" state routines, 5 routines they choreographed themselves, 5 solos, and grade school kiddos. It will be quite the production. I've even started working on next year, if it's not too presumptuous to assume that I will be the coach again, and booked hotel rooms for state competition. Just to brag, it's closer to the events center, has free parking, free breakfast, and a pool, and it is LESS THAN HALF of what we paid for this year!!! I love a good deal!

And, I've been hoodwinked, fairly willingly, into being the assistant coach for girls track, concentrating on the distance! However, I'm being constantly tested by the boys and their coach, who I'm trying not to peg as a chauvinist, but I suspect he is. Last week he told me not to run with them, but to stand in the hall and babysit, making sure no one walks. Then he changed the plans without consulting us when he said he would show me how to use the weights, and yesterday he cancelled an appointment again. His boys also got a taste of "Coach Rudd means what she says." After making it to the top of a ladder workout at 600m, I said it was time to go back down to 400. Whining and asking if I was serious was met with "Shut up!" from my cross country runners who know what I'm like. It continued, so I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 400? I meant another 600! Here we go." They didn't complain as much after that. Today will be a three mile run. Can't wait to see if they have learned their lesson.

I've signed up for an 8k next weekend. I hope it gets dramatically warmer. I'd really like to run in 50 degree weather, as opposed to 20 degree! Competition makes me nervous, but I'm going to do it anyway. It is good to work to overcome fears, especially since my team will be going through these same fears this season.

And I've picked up a job. The same school I've coached at has offered me an aide job to 3 students who are at risk. I go back and forth about it. Professionally, it's a step backwards from teaching and pays less per day than subbing, but it does make me more invaluable to a great district, will allow me to build relationships with colleagues, is a steady pay check, will allow me to have a regular routine, and allows me to be there and working despite the meet schedule for track. In addition to that, I can be very helpful to these students, and that's what it's all about, right? I will start in 2 weeks.

And then there's the rug rats and hubby! Addie aced her "Kindergarten Assessment Evaluation" with flying colors! Or, because I have no idea what kind of questions it involved, and the general comments were, shall we say, VERY general, I am more or less assuming my child scored off the charts and should be classified as no less than a genius! Regardless, it says that she is ready to go. Emily is pretty much potty trained. She is ever so proud when she poops, and insists on showing us, and I am most impressed, usually because the kid can poop like an elephant! She has a few accidents now and then when she's playing hard or sleeping, but hasn't worn a diaper for a good 3 weeks! So nice! Jeremy is working on his special talent of carving Jesus. He got another commission from a church in Ames to do their processional. It looks awesome! He is truly gifted!

I think that's all I've been up to! Now maybe in future posts there will be less topics!