Spring Break

We're still on spring break -- our last day of school was Wednesday, March 12, and we won't be back to a regular school schedule until Thursday, April 4. We are officially starting school this Monday, March 31, but our school is having its standardized testing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so we won't actually be back at the table together until Thursday of next week.

It's been a busy but fun vacation, despite some sad events. We spent two days at Knott's Berry Farm with my family and an additional day at the Discovery Science Center, so I'm counting those as two school days all together. Knott's works as a "school day" because of the activities we did in addition to riding roller coasters: panning for gold, exploring an 1880's one-room schoolhouse, touring a full-sized replica of Independence Hall, going on rides that explain the logging and mining industries in early California, etc.

Then I was very busy during Holy Week, attending a Seder meal plus the Triduum services of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday Vigil, plus two Stations of the Cross. I caught up on some work around the house and some studies I had gotten behind in doing, as well as at least an hour in prayer each day.

This week we also have two school days to add to our total in that we went on field trips to the art museum and the zoo on Tuesday, and today was Class Day, so the kids took all of their usual courses: E studied biology lab and self-defense; T was sick today so did not attend art, basketball, or chess; J experienced art, P.E., and cooking, and B went to art, science, and P.E. and I taught my two high school writing classes. My advanced class (honors) is learning to write persuasive essays in the five-praragraph format, and my intermediate class (college prep) is starting their MLA research papers. I also wrote a grammar tutorial this week on clauses for my friend Carmen's community college composition course.

Tomorrow I'll be going down to Alpine (halfway down the mountain) for chapel with the Anglicans, and then back up home to do a little gardening, work on finances, and read The Picture of Dorian Gray for our church's literary group, Logos, which will meet on Sunday after church. On Friday night and Staurday morning, we'll be heading into the city to Lake Murray to attend a "Bible Alive!" seminar; Keith, E and I will attend, and the boys will watch movies in the downstairs children's area. The seminar is supposed to really bring the Old Testament alive for 21st century Christians, so I'm really looking forward to it. The speaker gave a little promo talk a few weeks ago, and he seems like an interesting speaker -- interesting enough to keep us awake for more than six hours, anyway.

I have just finished reading Exodus today with the Bible Book Club, and we start on Leviticus tomorrow. I've also written out a new "Rule of Life" in the spirit of my Lenten Rule, and have hung it on the wall in front of my desk. One of my "Rules" is to be in bed by 11PM, and right now it's 11:15, so I have a way to go to make this rule work. Aaah, well, I'll get to bed earlier than my 1 AM average lately. I'm trying to get up earlier to have more time with the Lord before my day starts and to have more time to write, read, etc. So, "with the help of Christ my Saviour, I hope to keep this Rule of Life."

The weather has been gorgeous lately, so I've been enjoying walking to the post office and sitting on the front porch, enjoying our brief season of green from the winter rains. Green isn't our normal vegetation color here in the mountains of Southern California; brown is. But I do like the green for the short time it remains. Time for a little more gardening, I think, even though the daffodils are fading fast and the irises are beginning to form their large buds; I found a fuschia tulip coming up in the corner of my front flower bed as well. Gardening is so relaxing and wonderful!

So what's going on with you? Are you still on spring break, or are you back in the grind of life? Are you enjoying spring or are you still in the grip of winter?