(insert clever title here)

First off, let me just say a big howdy to my three faithful readers. You probably already know the basic jist of my life because you're on my Facebook friend list! :)

Lately I have really been feeling the strain of homeschooling through a particular virtual academy. I love the k12 curriculum, I really do. And I love the people I've met at the Washington Virtual Academy. But the daily grind of making WAVA's required monthly goals is sapping the joy out of this whole educational journey. We are schooling from morning until bedtime.

Add piano, choir, band into that mix, and the academic hours are shortened even more, adding to the crunch. We don't have AWANA or a comparable program at our church, and sad but true, I'm thankful, because that would be Just Another Thing To Do That Takes Up Time.

I'm snappish, short-tempered, and --yes, oddly enough--weepy! Me! (The snap and short-tempered bit is not so strange, but the weepy bit is the strange part).

So we really need prayer as to where we go from here. I am certain that I need to rely more on God's supply of grace. That's a definite. But: do we leave the virtual academy and remain independent homeschoolers? Do we change virtual academies? Do we send a kid off to school? If so, which school? Christian or public? Should I give up the piano studio and resume classroom teaching?

Leaving things status quo is taking a great toll on our lives. AGAIN, I know I need to rely more on God's power and provision. But have I overloaded my plate with things that God has not intended for me to bear? He promises to provide enablement for what He has ordained, not necessarily what I choose for myself.

So that's the latest from here.

We're off to a piano recital. I have 5 students in the recital, and both D and S are playing for their teacher Sharon, so it'll be a Kodak moment. :)

I'll sign off with the current meme. Feel free to just stop reading here if you find these things completely uninteresting!

Things I have done during my lifetime:

(x ) Gone on a blind date
(x ) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( x ) Been to Canada
( x ) Been to Mexico
( x ) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
( X ) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
( X ) Been lost
( x ) Gone to Washington, DC
( x ) Been to the Smithsonian
( x ) Rode The Metro in DC
( X ) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with Stingrays
( x ) Fed/petted stingrays
( X ) Cried yourself to sleep
( X ) Played cops and robbers
(x ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
( x ) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( X ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( x ) Made prank phone calls (Is your refrigerator running, better go catch it)
( x) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( x ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( x) Danced in the rain
( x) Been to Europe
( X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
( ) Watched a Mardi Gras parade in person
(x) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
(x ) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
(x) Been to a music concert
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
() Gone jet-skiing
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( x) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
( x) Seen the Grand Canyon
( x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( x) Been to New York City
( ) Been in a Haunted Place and experienced something
( x ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Gone out with someone you met online
() Toured Alcatraz aka The Rock
(x) Drove down Lombard Street in San Francisco
( ) Been on a cruise
( ) Traveled by train
( x) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Rode on a San Francisco cable car
( x ) Been to Hollywood
( ) Been to a taping of a live show
( ) Listened to Dueling Pianos in person
( x) Been to Disneyland AND Disney World (both)
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
(x ) Seen whales in the ocean
() Been inside a castle
(x ) Been to Niagara Falls
( x ) Rode on an elephant
( ) Been to San Diego's Gas Lamp District
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( x) Seen redwood trees
( x) Been to Busch Gardens
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
(x) Hiked a mountain trail
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
( ) Been to Waikiki Beach
( x ) Been water-skiing
( x ) Been snow-skiing
( x) Caught fireflies in a jar
( ) Been to Waikiki Beach
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( x) Gone white water rafting
(x) Gone on a picnic
( ) Been to the Louvre
(x ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Watched the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas
(x ) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
(x) Played a sport
( ) Swam with sharks
( ) Fed a giraffe
( x) Gone camping in a tent
(x) Seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
(x) Been to Knotts Berry Farm in Anaheim, CA (duh! I'm a Californian!)
( ) Been on a horse and buggy ride
(x) Traveled to more than 20 different states
(x ) Been to an NBA game
( ) Been to an NHL game
(x) Have eaten dessert first
( ) Been to Australia
() Been to Williamsburg, VA
(x) Read a book with more than 500 pages
( x) Met someone famous
(x) Went to a symphony (in concert)
(x) Seen The Nutcracker Ballet in person