We finished off the month of January with quite a few events for Arthur. One of which was the district academic UIL competition. The competition was actually the morning before the big ice storm, but because they were trying to finish before the storm hit, they waited on the awards ceremony.

Arthur got his medal on the same morning that he was being awarded a very special honor. He had been chosen by one of his teachers for the “Bulldog Pride Award,” because of his example of scholarship. I wish I had been able to attend, but it happened right as the school day was starting for me, and so Kevin went in my place. It is so wonderful to see him thriving and growing so much!

Another fun adventure was that Arthur had a special choir “retreat” one evening. Ms. Calvo fed the boys dinner, they had Kona Ice, they played games to build unity and had a great time. Arthur is so blessed to have such a great choir director!

I have also still been dealing with these horrendous muscle spasms that go from my throat to my lower back. Even on the medication, it makes it hard to function. And then when you add in a chemo treatment on Thursday, I was barely hanging on. Luckily, Arthur is usually always game to come and read our book together with me, or to watch a Hallmark movie or a mystery. He is a blessing.

When I saw this quote on Social Media, it really hit me. “Sometimes, angels are just ordinary people that God sends to help us.” I feel that so often. Between Kevin and the boys, my friends at work and church, I have angels all around me.

For example, this last week at school was rough. The kids were okay, but all the other things – the meetings, the balancing of schedules, feeling like my instruction time was constantly being stolen by other things, like testing, ice days, and other events, I was feeling overwhelmed and overloaded. And then, one of my students showed up with a fresh loaf of bread that her mother baked for me. In all the chaos that was my desk and everything else, that loaf of bread was a reminder of the angels around me.

Another happy thing is just being with my students. Celebrating birthdays and introducing them to my traditions, and so many other things.

One day, when I was feeling particularly grumpy, I knew it was time for a real dance party, and not just the thirty second button on my desk. I broke out my dance playlist and we danced during indoor recess. It was perfect.

And on a completely random note, the other day when Derek asked me how I was doing, I answered with, “I’m tolerable, I suppose.” But nobody understood the reference or the joke. Lame. I need to introduce these boys to Pride and Prejudice.