(Not His) First Day of School (Yet)

Hello. I've missed you. It's not that I don't love you anymore... I do! It's not you. It's me. I've been... not quite myself lately. I'm not prepared to discuss it any further, but just know that the reason I've been absent from the blogging world has nothing to do with my feelings for you, dear reader. I've just been preoccupied with some stuff. I'll explain everything later, I promise. But for now, just believe me when I say I'm glad you're in my life, and I'm happy to be back in my own life too, even if it's just for today.

Today was the first day of school for most of the world as I know it. Both my parents went back to their classrooms to teach. (When I asked my dad how his first day went, and if he has any snot-faced brats in his junior high classes, he said, "Bring it!") All four of my siblings are in school, which hasn't happened in a few years. Can I just say how happy I am to be done with school? Graduating from the U was one of the happiest accomplishments of my life, and not because I've found my mathematics degree so useful since then, and not because I was so proud of all the hard work I had suffered through, but because I knew I never had to set foot on campus again. I didn't even walk in my graduation ceremony; I think my man and I went out to dinner instead. Food or an hours-long ceremony in which I know maybe a handful of other students? Food please!

Aaaaaanyway. School started today. Neither the punk nor I actually set foot in a school, but the woody scent of sharpened pencils was in the brisk morning air, and academic improvement was on our minds.

I posted this photo on FB this morning, and my friend Tara said, "I bet he jumps from letter to letter as you say them." I scoffed, but later today, we played that game. Me: "Can you find Q?" He would study the canvas and then point. Me: "Go stand on Q." And then he would run over and dance on the funny-shaped letter.

For Health class, we practiced identifying body parts. He even learned 3 new parts that he never knew he had: hips, wrists, and earlobes.

And what would a perfect school day be without P.E.? Our friends Amy and Adam gave us a wonderful new punk-size slide, which we enjoyed for much longer than a 15-minute recess would have allowed. We even practiced counting the steps on the slide. The punk counted 10 steps! That's 7 more than I counted. He's pretty talented.

Happy First Day of School to you and yours! May this year be filled with lovely teachers, chocolate pudding snacks, and Algebra.

What?

Algebra is fun!