A Second Inside My Brain

I am sitting on the beach, drink in hand, and heart racing. I just got off a half hour jet ski ride in the ocean. There isn’t much more exhilarating than that. Especially on a day like today when the waves are huge. We wanted to go yesterday but it was too cool and the waves were pretty big. Today we decided we were doing it regardless.

My buddy and I finished up our third round of golf this morning, went home, changed and headed straight to the beach with the family. We each rented a jet ski so we could take our kids out on the ocean. My oldest is very timid and doesn’t put himself out there much, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. The good news is that he conquered his fears and got on with me. The waves were crazy and we got some massive air which he didn’t love. We got about five and a half minutes out and he was ready to be done. We went a few more minutes and brought him back to switch out with my daughter. She got on and has no fear. We took a little more adventurous ride, getting some good air over the massive waves. I checked in a few times and she was loving it. Our ultimate mission was to find a dolphin, but we weren’t successful.

After about ten minutes I dropped her off and then got to go out by myself. This is where the fun really began. We have had many jet skis in the past, but taking them on a lake vs the ocean is a huge difference. I found every large wave I could and hit it dead on. There were points where I was 4-5 feet in the air. It was absolutely amazing!! I couldn’t help but just laugh as I flew through the air. Being in the water is my happy place. Flying through the air on a jet ski in the ocean is indescribable. The rush is so intense.

I wrap up this 31 day challenge on such a high. I struggled this time for some reason. I wasn’t creative, I felt like my stories were boring and repetitive, but we made it through. Once again, I loved reading so many great blogs. So many relatable things we all go through as teachers. Being able to teaffirm that makes doing these slices so worth it.

I’m bummed spring break is over, but it was a hell of a week. My liver needs a much needed break though! Until next year slicers!!

Today was our big beach day. Our plan was to get out there early and spend all day there. That is what we did. We got out of the house a little later than we wanted, but it was still cool out so it wasn’t a big deal. We headed to a cool little shop that has summer gear and lots of souvenirs. We had a cool grocery store that made really good sub sandwiches, so we typically order those and eat on the beach. Unfortunately the store was being remodeled so we didn’t get to do that. We found a different place that made sandwiches so it ended up working out perfect.

We lugged our stuff to a spot on the beach and got all set up. It was super sunny today, but it was a little chilly and pretty windy. That didn’t bother us at all. The kids did their own thing while we cracked open a cold one and relaxed on the beach. We were a little bummed because we wanted to take the kids on a jet ski in the ocean, but it was a little too choppy out there. So instead, we sat around, played some football, and even saw a crazy creature that washed up on shore. It was called a manowar, and the worker there told us that they can cause some major damage if you get stung by one of those.

We ended up staying until almost 7:00, and of course then had to stop on the way home at the brewery. We had a drink there, then went home and Cooked our seafood dinner. We had 75 shrimp, four tuna steaks, biscuits, andouille sausage, and grilled veggies for us. The kids ate frozen pizza. We didn’t even eat until after 10:00, but it was so worth it.

Today was just the perfect day. I can barely function right now I am so tired, but it’s so worth it. We have only one more full day tomorrow which we will be starting off with our third round of golf. Then one last beach day before we pack it all up. I do not want it to end, but Sunday will be a day of doing absolutely nothing.

I am not a huge seafood guy overall. I love shellfish, and eat shrimp all the time. I will dabble in eating fish here and there, but seldomly order it at a restaurant and we almost never cook it at home. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just really don’t ever think about it. At home though, you just can’t get great seafood. There are some places that have some decent stuff, but you have to pay through the roof to get it. Down here in Florida, it’s so different. I crave seafood. I order it as much as I can because it’s so fresh and such better quality.

Today we went to a seafood shop and went to town. We ended up coming home with three pounds of colossal shrimp, four tuna steaks, blue crab dip, and a couple other things. I am so excited to get them on the grill. I am not one to really explore when it comes to seafood, but when you’re in a place like this with so many options, I feel obligated to. So far I have had multiple types of oysters, three different types of shrimp, crab, scallops, and fish tacos. The one thing I can’t wait for is the mahi Reuben from this restaurant on the water. It. Is. Amazing!!

There’s a couple of days left, and I look forward to continuing to try new types of seafood while I’m down here.

One thing I love about where we are in Florida is the places around us. Sounds weird, but the town we are in is a hoe dunk town. It has nothing except for a grocery store and a restaurant or two. The towns connected to it are what I love. Since COVID, the towns have built up. There is a new brewery, and multiple new restaurants. Whereas before when we would come down here and just go to the beach by the house, we now have options.

My favorite place to go to the beach is St. George island. it’s a beauty each with multiple restaurants and shops you can go to. You can lay on the beach, toss a ball around, or even rent a jet ski. That’s what we will be doing in Thursday. My son and I already decided we will be going on the jet ski together. Last year all the people coming off the jet skis were saying they saw dolphins. I was so excited because I’ve never seen them that up close. My daughter and I went out and….nothing. My wife went out after me and of course saw one. So my son and I decided we will go out together and see one.

My other favorite place is a small town called Apalachicola. It is a great small town feel. It is old, but has a ton of shops, restaurants, and even a brewery. We ate lunch and then the girls shopped while the boys went to the brewery. We checked out the shrimp boats and walked down the coast. It’s a perfect little town to visit. The only bummer was that my favorite restaurant was closed today. We will hit it up on the way home tomorrow though.

I love coming down here and going to our favorite spots. Even though it may only be once a year, it feels like home. Tomorrow we golf again and hit the beach!

I had to come to Florida to do it, but I finally got my first round of the year in. I have played this course about a handful of times before, and it is a pain to play. The fairways are narrow as can be, there is no forgiveness if you miss, and there is tons of fescue that you have to hit over. You have to be a disciplined golfer to play here, which I tend not to be. I’m more like a let’s hit it hard and see what happens.

One of the best rounds I have ever played was here, which was the first time I’d ever played it. I was with my wife who was just learning to play golf so I basically played while she hit a shot or two here and there. I started off birdie, par, birdie, and got my first ever eagle on this course. Since that day this course has gotten in my head. That day I was loose and just playing for fun. I didn’t know how challenging the course was because I’d never played it.

Now that I know the course, and know it’s challenges, I get in my own head before I ever tee off. I talk myself into bad shots before I take them. We had a beautiful day to play today, with no wind and great temps. But I just couldn’t get out of my own head. I started off pretty tough. I just had no confidence after not playing for so long. Once I had a beer to loosen up, I started playing looser and that resulted in my overall game improving. If I can just get out there and stop thinking, I would do great. But since I already have it in my head that this course is tough, I play that way. I shot okay, but I look forward to Wednesday where I can try it again, and hopefully play looser. One way or another, I got to swing the clubs, and that’s all that counts. Beats water aerobics at a resort pool. 🤷‍♂️🏌️‍♂️

Based on the last post, we made the right choice. We got into Panama City last night around 11:00. We got our car quickly, and then headed to the hotel. It was dark, we were tired, and we wanted a beer. We crashed quickly at the hotel, woke up kinda early, then made the two hour drive. We still got here by 10:00 and got a full day in.

After we unpacked, it was beach time. We all got changed and hopped into the car to St. George Island, my favorite place. The entire way on our drive it was cloudy, with no sun to be seen. We went to a restaurant on the beach first, and by the time we finished, the sun was now out in full effect and it was perfect out. we found our spot, spread out our towels and blankets, now it was time to relax.

The kids immediately went down to the water and played their hearts out. The family we went with, their kids had never been to the ocean before which made it more fun! The adults cracked a drink, and my buddy and I tossed a football around on the beach. We eventually all got in the water, which was chilly at first, but turned out to be real nice after you got used to it. We all had a great first day, and best of all, I didn’t get burnt. Tomorrow we golf, then back to the beach. I can’t wait!!

We are leaving for Florida tonight. We got an 8:40 pm flight out, which puts us in Panama City around 10:40. We are renting a car, and then have to drive two hours to our house. With us losing an hour, that puts us there around 2:00 in the morning. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but the last hour of the drive is a little dicey. We are driving on a two lane road with forests on both sides. It is literally pitch black on this road. There are no lights, no gas stations, houses, or anything else at all. There is very spotty cell service, and we are going to be tired. Bad combination.

This morning with another crazy snow storm that we didn’t get in Chicago, our flight showed it was delayed. Now we would be leaving at 9:45, and getting there at 11:45. Even though we are now back to our normal time, we decided it would be better if we just got a hotel in Panama City. That way we don’t need to worry about the terrifying, white knuckle drive, and we don’t have to wake our kids up at two in the morning to get in the house. Plus we don’t even know if the car rental place will be open that late to get our rental. We changed our plans, so now we are staying in a hotel, waking up early, and getting on the road. With the hour time difference, that will put us there about 9:30 am, which is probably when we would be waking up anyway. As nice as it would be to just wake up at the house, I think this plan is better for all of us. Not to mention safer. I cannot wait to get there, drop our stuff, and head right to the beach!

It is over. Spring break is upon us. Let the drinks flow, the sun shine down on our shoulders, and the water be warm…well at least warm enough for the kids. But before all of that can happen it is the chaotic part of a vacation, the packing. I am an over packer. I can’t help it. I was talking to my principal today who is going to London and Paris for her spring break with her family of four, and said they only have carry ons. I can’t even fit myself in a big suitcase and all I need is shorts, t-shirts and swim trunks. Oh and golf stuff. My goal this year is to be able to fit not only my stuff in my suitcase, but also my wife’s. We will see how that goes.

Then comes the rest of the fun part. Finishing up last minute laundry loads. Checking all the kid’s sizes to know whether or not they will still fit in their summer clothes. Deciding what items they will bring to keep them entertained on the plane and in the car. Getting all the suitcases packed, the dog packed and ready to go, and my golf stuff carefully packed away. It is one night of stress, but it is so worth every second of it. We don’t leave until late tomorrow night, so at least we have time to get all of our stuff done without running around like crazy.

The funny part is on the way there, everything is packed away so meticulously and neatly in the suitcases. On the way home, that sh*t is thrown in however it can fit cause vacation is over. I cannot wait! I am sure we will be hearing a lot of posts this week about vacation, and I will be one of them. Let’s just hope it is not a puke or bloody nose story like last year!

This is my 21st year teaching. I have taught third, fourth, and fifth. I have taught in some challenging schools with some challenging students. The first year at my current school was fifteen years ago, and the class I had made me rethink my career choice. I was in my late 20’s and would go home every single day and fall asleep on the couch within ten minutes of being home. I was exhausted to the point where I couldn’t function. It was not a fun year for me. That would be the class that I would say was my toughest class I have had.

This year is the absolute opposite. This fourth grade class that I have is what I call the “once in every ten years class.” They are as close to a perfect class as you can get. They get along with each other so well. They are respectful to everyone and anyone they meet. They are the best listeners I have ever had. If you give them a direction, they do it. No whining, no talking back, no disrespect. They just do it. When anyone is absent in this class, they email me and ask me what they missed. That blew me away, I have never had a class do that before.

Every time that I have had a sub in my class, whether for an hour, half day, or a full day, they all say the same thing. They use the word “perfect.” Your class is perfect. I will never get tired of hearing that. I wish I could take credit for all of this, like I was this amazing teacher who solved the seemingly unsolvable puzzle. But it isn’t me. It is them. I have to give them all the credit in the world. They earned that. They are such sweet kids. They just come in every single day and do their job. Are they perfect? No. They could clean up a couple things, but in the grade scheme of things, they are as close to a perfect class as you can get.

I do my best to compliment them as much as possible, because I refuse to take them for granted. It may be a while before I have a class like this again…if ever. Of course this year is going by so fast, and for the first time, maybe ever, I want it to slow down. I want to keep this class. I want to clone them and have them every year. I already know what is coming next year, it will be a complete 180. But whatever, I am only focusing on the next two months with this group! I will never get tired of the endless compliments that I get because of this class.

Today I had four meetings. I usually don’t have four meetings in a month. It started with my post observation meeting with my principal, which went well. I then had a long overdue problem solving meeting for one of my students. After school we had a very interesting behavior committee meeting that was interrupted by a parent who was going ballistic in the office. But the best meeting I had today was with my teaching partner and coach. We are trying to redesign our last reading and writing unit, and so our principal, with a great assist from our coach, allowed us to take a half day to plan. My partner and I plan a lot, like we talk about our plans daily. However it still always feels rushed. Trying to plan a full unit on our own would have been a nightmare, and there is no way we would’ve come up with a great plan like we did today.

We took the entire afternoon off, and after some back and forth, we came up with a great plan for both reading and writing. I put together a calendar for reading, and my partner started the calendar on writing. Our coach helped us with some great ideas, found some great materials, and looked up some books that we can purchase for the unit. The three of us got these units pretty much planned from when we get back from break all the way through the end of the year.

It is such a nice feeling to have all of that done. It will make our planning over the next two months so much easier. We may need to make some tweaks along the way, but that is expected. All of this is due to the fact that we just had some time to plan. It is so valuable, yet it seems so hard to come by sometimes.