why, hello

 Everyday two students come into my classroom and make sure that my name is on the board.  Usually accompanied by a message to other students and a statement of undying love and devotion to a certain band member of the group One Direction.

Monday marked my first day as a Special Education Assistant at my local middle school.  It has been a non-stop week of finding my way and being as much help while still learning the ropes (and student's names) myself.  The day is full - I am in a different classroom every period.  It really was a great week. There are so many amazing staff members that I get to work with throughout the day.  Everyone has been really helpful.

Zachary's wrestling season has officially stepped from regular season to the major competitions of conference and the road to championships.  Cheering him on will be the Saturday activity for the next month or so (fingers crossed).  

After Christmas but before school started up for the semester I took a breather up North in Michigan for a few days.  

 The end of 2012 and New Year was rung in with dear Maggy and her sweet babe Fern.

 I took Fern a rabbit puppet for one of my Goshen favorites - Found.

Maggy's friend Aliza and her family joined us for the new year.  They met while studying organic farming.  They both left the program for other interests but seemed to have found their way back to farming - Maggy with her family's tree farm and Aliza with the orchard that she and her husband just bought.  There was much talk of the good earth and growing.  Good topics.  

We got out to enjoy the constant snowfall which included blazing down the drive on sleds and snowmobiling (or skidooing as they say wayyyy up North) around the Christmas Tree lot.  Mag also gave us a tour of the barns - which I had never been shown - including the old slaughterhouse.

 When Fern spotted Maggy's dad's three-year-old experiment in tradition decay methods she signed "horse".

 Melt my heart.

We took a trip into Traverse City one morning with Oryana as our destination.  Maggy and I are just two birds of a feather when it comes to food and heading to her local gem of a natural foods co-op is our definition of a great time!

 We enjoyed a lunch from their great cafe.  I don't even remember what I ordered I just know it was delicious.

 Having recently acquired a massive cabbage from her local farmer, we were preparing fried cabbage and coleslaw while Fern enjoyed the more decorative aspects of the "head".

She was super helpful with the tasks of stirring and taste-testing the slaw.  (The little spoon she's using was also a Found find - just had to give them another shout-out.)

If that's not a mischievous look I don't know what is.

It was so lovely spending time with Maggy and Fern.  I just adore those two.  I'd have to say the major  highlights of the trip were the amazing chocolate chip cookies Maggy made for New Year's Eve and all the delicious cuisine (getting super hungry thinking about it), Fern exasperatingly  telling us she wanted to go outside, watching Call the Midwife together and most of all Skypeing our third amigo Lizzard!