Hello Coffee Share peeps! It’s been much too long since I’ve been a part of this wonderful group, and I am sorry I’ve been MIA. But there’s been a LOT going on in my world, and I’ll do my best to give you the short version.

Some of you know that’s near impossible, but I’m gonna try! So come on in. I’ve got a variety of teas to choose from and some of my Strawberry-Almond muffins to nosh on. We’ve got lots of catching up to do!

Sorry I’ve been gone so long. A quick look back on the blog tells me it’s been since before the first day of school. A lot has happened since then… but I can actually sum it up pretty easily:

The new school/district is as good as it appeared to be back in August!

• I have almost full autonomy in my classroom, which if you ask any teacher, they will tell you that’s nearly unheard of these days.
• I actually like most of the people I work with directly.
• The pay is better.
• My honors kids are amazing and (for the most part) self-motivated.
• My STAAR retesters are equally as awesome, albeit considerably louder.
• My class sizes are reasonable!

I know it sounds like a fairy tale (all my teacher friends say so), but it’s REAL.

As for the rest of my life, the biggest change has been that I had to get a new car.

Those of you who’ve been following for a longish while might remember a few years ago when I was rear-ended by a semi-truck. Remember how I struggled to get a new car because they still showed the totaled car as in my name, and being owed on? Well, the car I ended up with somehow ended up in my father’s name, and through a whole slew of problems because of that, I recently was forced to get a new one in my name:

I was able to take it home just before the Solstice, then immediately went “home” to visit my family for a week. Thus this past week has been equal parts relaxing and planning.

I spent quite a bit of time working on my bullet journal for the new year:

I cooked a New Year’s meal with all the traditional Southern luck foods: black-eyed peas, cabbage, pork:

I bought my first ever Smartwatch (because my Fitbit died, and this was a better financial decision):

And I finished up by going to the museum and then to a cafe to write with a writer friend of mine:

So that’s it! It’s been both busy and relaxing this week, but I feel ready to take on 2020! Though, I’m not sure I’m ready for my students on Monday…

How are things going in your world?

If you want to be part of the coffee share, check out the host:  Eclectic Alli, or go straight to the link-up here.