Five for Fraturday!

I'm coming in close to the wire, but I made a commitment to blog today.  Like many, it is easier for me to participate in the Five for Friday link with Doodlebugs!  This is one of my favorite links in the blog world because I love seeing what all of my "friends" are up to during the week.  Life looks so different classroom to classroom!

This is my first official week of summer vacay, but I've spent much of it working.  I've done this every year for the last 10 years.  It's just part of who I am.  I have to be busy and continually working toward something.  This year, it's writing curriculum.

I turn 40 on the 29th of June and I had planned on being in the best shape of my life by 40.  Well, some of us know how that goes.  So, Im working on 40 miles by 40.  I need accountability, but live an hour from people who would help to do that, so I purchased a fitbit.  It's helping.  I paced the living room tonight to get my 10,000 steps.  There's such joy in having that little band vibrate when I hit that goal. I've set other goals with the device and so far it's keeping me on track.  Well, except for that pound cake today!

My favorite thing about summer is the unexpected day trip with my husband.  Last night I was asking questions about Aiken, SC - just an hour or so from us - and he spontaneously said, "Let's go tomorrow!" So, we jumped in the car and headed down the road to visit.  My goal was to find the avenue of oak trees that is always photographed.  I'm not sure if we found the right one, but we did find one that was beautiful.  We enjoyed lunch at Betsy's On the Corner!  It was great!  The BLT and the pound cake was amazing.  As was the homemade lemonade!  After lunch we saw the Aiken Historical Museum and decided to make a go of it.  We loved Aiken and will be going back again!

Part of that commitment to 40 by 40 has included a lot of walking.  I had hoped to be a runner, but over the last year, my ankles and feet have given me more problems than I'm willing to compromise by running, so walking it is.  My husband is more at home in the woods than a neighborhood, so we've been taking late evening walks on local trails.  We've walked the Ninety-Six Historical battleground and countless forest service roads.  We've seen turkeys, raccoons, deer, and toads.  Last night, Taku, our Jack Russell Terrier even found a creek to frolic in for a bit.

Meet Lucy, our school therapy dog!  Isn't she the sweetest?!  Our guidance counselor is raising her as a therapy dog and she is spending the days at school with us.  She has already provided some much needed therapy for teachers in the building.  On our work day this week I snuck into the counselor office and kidnapped her for a bit.  She is so snuggly soft!

Every summer I make a goal to read a certain amount of books!  I'm a voracious reader and will read all night to finish a book.  So far, I've read 4 books for pleasure and one professional text in the last 5 days.  My goal this year is 100 books this summer.  Not sure if I'll make it, but I'm trying!

Looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow!  Head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to see everyone else's weekly wrap-up!

~Shasta