Junuary - a warm January

BOOT
After 2 1/2 weeks, I've shed the BOOT and have begun walking on the foot and even working out a little.  Never realized how much I'd miss that!  MRI results showed that I did NOT have a stress fracture (thank goodness) and that my lovely cyst was long and narrow.  It's still there, but smaller, and as long as I take care, it may dissipate on its own in time.  Just get me back to the gym and hiking again - and life will seem more balanced!  I'm grateful for tender mercies - the experience could have been much worse! 

WORK
January flew by.  Work keeps me busy, but since I've adopted "adequate," the waves have been much easier to ride.  I'm realizing how much of a perfectionist I am at some things, and how I'm NOT at others.  I didn't know people could be both!  But I'm still very grateful for the ladies with whom I work and my kids who ride my moody waves ok.  I enrolled a girl the first week of Jan who was giving me a run for my sanity money.  I'm not sure I learned what I was supposed to by having her, but she withdrew last week and it's been so much calmer.  She's being raised by a druggie mother and gets moved around quite a bit.  It makes me wonder how she'll ever learn to behave in society and I feel sorry for her.  This world is a crazy place for too many of our kids.

WORST FEAR
An acquaintance died 2 weeks ago.  I knew her from our old stake growing up as well as from the ELL dept.  Renae would always go out of her way to say hello to me at trainings or conferences and update me on her kids (a little younger than me.)  I guess she didn't show up to lead the choir one day at church, and being single, the Bishop sent her hometeachers over to check on her.  Getting the key from a neighbor, they found her dead, having fallen, hitting her head, and that's it.  She lives alone.  The unnerving thing is...that is MY WORST FEAR - how long would it take someone to realize I was missing if something were to happen to me?  If I were to get hurt, and not have my cell phone near me, how long would I suffer before being found, dead or alive?  It's given me lots to think about and I'm trying not to dwell, but....

MORE NEWS
And I got a call this week that Mr. Priest died.  He was the man that my previous school was named after.  I worked there, having opened the school with him, for 7 years.  He was always happy to see me, and asked about my travels.  He traveled the world and shared with me places that I'd just have to see while I'm young.  He understood when it was my time to move on to another school, and was so excited when I'd come back to visit at events and parties.  It's funny, but I'm a little sad to know that he's no longer around.  But, being in his 80s, it was his time to go.  His funeral is this Saturday - of course I'll be there.

CAUCUS
I attended my 2nd republican caucus yesterday.  Last year, it was a well-attended, well-organized, and interesting experience in a good way.  This year, all 3 of those characteristics were opposites.  What an embarrassment.   Unmarked registration lines, no packets for the room leaders, no ballots, and no official anything.  After an hour of waiting around, we finally just got our ballots, voted, and left.  So, tell me how that's different than a Primary?  Our entire room wants the Primaries back - where you can go at your own leisure, vote, and walk out.  This caucus thing was a tremendous waste of time.  I don't get it.

THE JACKSTER
Jackson was blessed today - Joel offered a beautiful blessing to his first son.  What a good man he is - I'm so glad Sarah got snatched up by him years ago.  We had a nice dinner at Kristi's tonight and passed him around.  He's getting big already - really filling out.  I got to babysit him on Tuesday night and had a ball - he was more awake than I'd ever seen him and we cuddled next to the fireplace.  What a blessing he is.

That's it for now.  Can't keep my eyes open - realized I hadn't journaled in a while.  Happy February!