the party's over

today was my first day back in my classroom.
one week before the shorties arrive.
seven days to colorfully and creatively cover bulletin boards.
a short time to breathe deeply and fill the room with love and good vibes.

my summer has ended nicely.
our trip to the outerbanks was stellar!
i have never been there before and was blown away with the beauty of the dunes.
and...
fireworks every night!
somewhere, about every ten minutes or so, someone sets off fireworks.
brilliant displays of fire, sparks and light, in fact.
they do this even though there are signs posted not to.
it was like independence day for a week!

our nieces had much salty sand fun.



we rested, ate amazing family-cooked meals, read,


sunned ourselves,



and sang at the top of our lungs with the ocean as our percussion.


alas...back to the books.
back to grading papers.
back to figuring out what makes the shorties tick.

goodbye summer.