Ah, blissfully sleeping in until after 7... I just love it. Today I don't need to go in to work until NOON! Then I've got parent-teacher conferences until 8ish. I've got about thirty parents scheduled to stop in. It's funny, I used to dread these conferences because I felt like a big, awkward twelve year old around the grown-up parents. I'd get a bit tongue-twisted and my palms would even get a little sweaty. I no longer get sweaty, just tired out by the end of the night. The good news is that there are always some crazies in the mix, which makes for good stories later on the couch.

Yesterday, mid-morning, there was a tiny little knock on my classroom door. Interesting because that door usually gets slammed into, or practically ripped off its hinges. Anyway, it was a super favorite student of mine that graduated when we were in Japan, then got married, moved to Montana and had a baby. All before her 20th birthday. Normally I enjoy my students, new and old, but this girl has always inspired me. She makes and sells baby shoes, AND told me all about how to do it and where to buy the little scraps of leather. She sews her own clothes and just took the train across the country to get to Minnesota for a visit. Jeez, I've been so lazy lately! I'm not really making anything, and I'm certainly not traveling. On regular days, I work really hard at school, maybe get a few groceries to make an easy dinner, take a little nap, then settle into a good book or watch a DVD, and get to bed early. Lame, I know! So today, between now and noon, I'm going down to my little studio and breaking out the mosaics. My little sister is going to get a skull and cross-bones mosaic for Christmas, no matter what it takes!