i went camping this weekend with a bunch of people from church. i still feel very much on the fringe of the group - but this was a good start in the right direction to becoming more integrated. i definitely feel like i'm part of the group - just not IN it? i don't even know...
highlight of the weekend was being canoed UP stream / UP rapids by a fireman/rower in their underwear discussing disney princesses... that and winning a bunch of hands of euchre.
in other news - school is almost done for the year - crazy.

today i biked to work - it took four or five minutes - it takes me between three and fifteen minutes to drive to work... i biked home from work with dan... it was nice to chat and it meant that i couldn't be super lazy - it prolly took us five or six minutes to bike to my place because of the crazy wind- but i did it.. and hated it. i really do not enjoy biking - but i'm going to try to bike to work for the rest of the year.

the rest of the day was fun - it was "grandfriends day" so it was great to meet the grandparents of these kids. i had a bunch come visit us in drama class which was madness today because the kids were working on 15 minute hamlet productions in a tiny room (we usually split up but today all the classrooms were occupied due to grandfriends day). i think it went well - the kids stayed mostly on task.

i ended up eating lunch with dan, dave, hilary, four students and 2 grandfriends. one of the students was not connected to either of the grandparents so he hung out on our side of the table and we frightened him with just how insane his teachers are when we hang out in a group... today we planned the teacher band band... a concert band made up of teachers who play terribly... the boys want to play jurassic park - they sound like my students...

after getting home i made dinner (another plus of biking - eliminates the temptation of picking up dinner on the way home from school - especially with dan biking with me) and then went to zumba. i have never had this teacher before - it was a lot more dance-y than workout-y i think... so when i got home i went for a walk/run... i'm attempting to complete the learn to run thing - in 10 weeks i should be able to comfortably run a 5k... we'll see if that happens - but day 1 of the plan was successful. my goal for the next 2 months while i have a lot less teaching is to get into shape - or at least in a habit of exercise. i just need to fight the temptation of collapsing on the couch and watching netflix/dvds as soon as i walk through the door... so hard to find that motivation these days.

oh well - i'm off to sleep now... all the exercise today did make me exhausted so that's a good thing for me :)
g'nite

Last week was good - I spent Wednesday to Saturday hanging out with the grade 12 students in New York - it was great to experience the city through their eyes. I have decided to go back in August to actually see the city for myself - but this was a great introduction (the 9 hours last summer not withstanding)... Sunday I got to hang out with Brandon and Danielle - they joined me in church and then we went for lunch - it was great to catch up - I haven't seen either of them in a long while.
The rest of the week has been interesting... I finally had time to come crashing down from the stresses of the play and the exhaustion of New York and have been feeling a little tired and blah and alone in this city.

Lately I've been noticing that God fills my life with what I need to know or needed to be reminded of. Bible passages that are read in church are repeated in chapel and then again in homeroom. Songs pop into my head that fit the situation. This has been the song of the week... it seems that whenever the lonely has been creeping in this song pops in my head and fills the void...

Never Once by Matt Redman

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful