A Fantastic Friday

Friday was a Professional Development Day for the Entire Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District. So, I spent the day up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. We got an early start and flew off the island at 7:15 am. I had to wait a few minutes for my friend to pick me up at the airport on the mainland, so I was able to snap a few photos of the island as the sun was beginning to brighten the sky.

The sessions at the PD Day were very worth while. I went to one on preventing teacher burnout and one on teaching without using a textbook. (I don't have a book for my 4th - 5th grade class and I was curious what other teachers do...) The burnout one was great. The medical director of MESSA (a health insurance company) explained that burnout was caused by a buildup of unrelieved stress. It got me thinking again about how much I tend to worry about things over which I have no control and that I need to put in more effort to let things go.

What did I do after the sessions? What else - SHOPPING! I was off the island, had a couple of hours to kill before the plane, and I was in desperate need of groceries. Plus, I kept smelling pizza, so I had to get a couple of those to take home, too.

They say "free delivery," when you live on an island it's "pick up" only...

But that was OK, because my ride was willing to wait.

Flying on and off the island is such a nice treat this time of year. (The airport is "up the hill" so the bike ride home is about 1/4 mile and it is mostly flat- a nice bonus at the end of a long day.)We usually fly only in the winter when the boats aren't running, since the plane costs about three times as much as the boat. But since the PD day started at 8:30, the only way we could get there on time was to fly.

The plane usually seats six - including the pilot, but if three of you are all bringing home tubs of groceries, there is a lot less room.

Now that I have all the groceries put away, my to do list for the next two days includes laundry, some time in the garden, more laundry, and designing a pattern for a size 4T fox tail. What are you up to?