5/25/13
It was year
ago that we were in and around the Skagit Valley for Ski to Sea and our friends
wedding. It was a phenomenal
week remembering our friend Kevin, making new memories, and renewing our
connection to that place, its community, and ground. Sometime during that week we realized that the Skagit area
was where we were going to settle and put down our roots, we just didn’t know
when. And now, exactly a year
later, signed and notarized documents are on their way back to the valley to
complete the purchase of our house, barn and land. What a year it has been.
The last two
months have been filled with long weeks of school and many rewarding days in
the classroom. We haven’t traveled
on weekends as we have been saving every peso for the down payment, but
weekends at home have been refreshing at times and we have made some spectacular
lasagnas. Other days we have been
homesick, tired, feeling down, but we keep moving forward. Working towards buying a place we
thought we could only dream about has been very hopeful and at times
frustrating. Only three weeks ago
when we were days from closing, the large bank we were working with came to us
with some ridiculous demands and a terrible rate after they had said everything
was good. They were too big to be
helpful. So that plan fell apart,
but thanks to our amazing real-estate agent we found another bank that has
worked with us, and it is nearly ours.
We should officially close on Tuesday or Wednesday.
We have one
week of classes, a week of exams, and a week of teacher wrap-up stuff before we
are done for the year, but the end is in sight. We know we can make it from here.
Other Notes:
I have learned
to knit in anticipation of having a few wool-producing sheep.
I have been reading
A place in time by Wendell Berry and Teaching a stone to talk by
Annie Dillard. Both are phenomenal
books by incredibly talented and thoughtful authors. I am also reading The Brothers Karamozov, by
Dostoyevsky.
My plants have
been growing very well, especially after I gave them some fertilizer. I couldn’t find the slow release
organic type that I like, but the plants are happy with the needed nutrients.
I have been
sick and missed school three different times this semester. Tara has done a great job taking care
of me. I am not used to being sick
and missing school. In my first 4
years of teaching I took only 2 sick days, and I am up to 8 sick days this
year.
5/30/13
We got the call this afternoon, the sale of our place closed! We officially are home owners. We were too tired to do much celebrating, plus I had cheating cases to deal with (disheartening) and tests to correct so I could get them back to students tomorrow. We'll celebrate when we see it!
6/7/13
I am finished, exams are graded, grades are in the grade book. The school year is done, and I am listening to The Queens of the Stone Age. It has been an interesting week, the joy of finishing the year that was so daunting in August, mixed with the dissapointment of dealing with 10 cheating cases in the last week. Having a student cheat is disapointing enough in itself, but when they lie to you it really hurts. I have to remind myself that these individual cases don't represent all of the students. In fact I even got some nice notes from students on the exams. "Mr. Van Loo, thanks for everything. I had a good year with you and also I learned a lot! Thank you!" I really do love teaching, and my students. I had a number of mini-celebrations today, while correcting exams, for students who excelled. And there was also heartache for the students who bombed the exam, or failed the course.
It has been a very rewarding school year, and it may be the first year in my teaching career when I am excited about next year on the last day of this year.
And to close it out the ever classic funny response to an exam question:
Q: Explain how traits are passed from parents to children.
A: Traits are passed from parents to their children when parents do things and the mother gets pregnant......
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| Thanks to Carmen for the photo of our house! |
