Autumn is my favorite

Currently reading: Seeds of Hope, Educating for Life, The Blue Sword, 33 Middle School short stories

This has been a rough week, making it two in a row that have drained me of pretty much all my energy. I'm trying to come up with ways to relieve the stress, and the best one I've come up with yet is to take a walk around my mountainous neighborhood. This also serves the purpose of allowing me to make phone calls, as I have no reception in my house. I'm worried about what to do when it starts getting cold, but I think I'll just bundle up and keep walking. I'm making up several different routes to walk, which is good, because it keeps things interesting. Also, the hills make it relatively good exercise.

I have an absolute mountain of correcting to do this weekend, so I currently have a pot of coffee being made and laundry being done as I settle in for the long haul this morning. Steve and I may go apple picking this afternoon when he's done with school meetings, which would be fun. We're the only ones in town this weekend and I don't really feel like just sitting around. So I'm hoping to go apple picking and then come home and make a pie and some hot apple cider. There's a beautiful orchard only two miles from our house, so we may go there....the joys of living in the middle of nowhere.

Kristin and I have been rewriting the words to Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" all week. We wrote "Work Story", which involves the struggles of two young teachers waiting for payday, and "PACE story" which involves the prospects for Steve's romantic future. Needless to say, he was not amused. But it is pretty silly, and we've been having a good time. The teachers at school think we're crazy.

I talked to Sara last night, which was incredibly therapeutic. I miss being able to see her every day. And we're both such grown-ups now, with jobs and lives that are so separate from each other right now. It's weird.

Well I'm off to eat and start the mountain of grading that awaits me.

Much love,
Emily