A poem that speaks to me

I was looking for a quote about lakes to use as a sig line on another website that I belong to, and I ran across this poem. I've never read this one before, but it immediately stood out to me. In it, the speaker has determined that he will leave his urban home and move to a lake island. He looks forward to building his cabin and living in harmony with nature. One of the reasons he chooses to leave his home for this lake island is because deep in his heart, he constantly hears the lapping waters of the lake along the shore.

WOW! If I were able to put my feelings about being at the lake into words, this is exactly what I would have said. My favorite times are early in the morning and late in the evening when the only sounds one hears are the birds, the crickets, and the water. I love sitting out on the porch early in the morning with a good cup of coffee and just "being." I love the end of the day when all the boaters have gone home and the lake is smooth as glass. I long for the day when John and I build our cabin and life is simple and peaceful.


The Lake Isle of Innisfree
William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always day and night
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Fun in Fort Walton!

I just got in a little over an hour ago from the Junior Civitan District convention in Fort Walton Beach. Ben Russell only had 12 students total, but that number was perfect! I've discovered that the larger the crowd of teens, the more we have to keep up with. Of those 12, three were district officers and one is the international president for Junior Civitan. Someday, I'll be able to say the governor of Alabama or the president of the US or some other hugely important person was a member of the Benjamin Russell Junior Civitan while I was the advisor. Of course, I can take no credit for his success. He became deeply involved with the organization as a student at the middle school. By the time he got to my club, he was already a district officer and he just kept going. I'm still very proud of him, though! For next year, Ben Russell students will hold 5 of the 7 district officer seats.

The kids had a really good time. Friday night they got to watch Cars out by the pool. After the business meeting Saturday morning, it was games on the beach. The first year I went to the convention, I thought this would be the hokiest thing ever. I was SO wrong. It is so funny to watch the teams compete against each other, and of course, it is really fun to watch the Ben Russell teams be quite dominant. :) One of the middle school advisors, two of the middle school chaperones, and I did the sack race after all the kids had finished. I came in 2nd--not too bad for the oldest one of the bunch. lol After the banquet and officer installation Saturday night, they danced until about 11:30. Boy, do they have energy. I was ready to crash by 9. I'm sure most of them slept on the bus today.

Awesome news!

Phillip will be teaching and coaching at Spain Park High School in the Hoover school systerm next year!! He, Katy, and Sam will be moving back to Birmingham. I'm really excited for him because I know SPHS is a great school. My best friend, plus several other good friends, teach there, and they all love it. Also, his brother Rob is the team opthamologist, so that will be great This means that John and I will get to spend lots more time with Sam. Probably not as much as Mike and Darlene, his other set of grandparents, but that's okay. We'll take him to the lake for the summers. :) Even after John and I move to the lake, Birmingham will still be a little closer than Huntsville was.

This just makes me an even bigger Jaguar fan!!! GO JAGS!!!

Lies, deceit, and murder!

In senior English we just started Macbeth, and I LOVE it! Every time we start a new piece of literature, I tell the students that it is my favorite, but I really do believe that Macbeth is my favorite. If I were told I could teach only one piece of lit, that is the piece I would choose. After about the first act, the kids start to get in to it, too. We have some really good discussions about how one seemingly trivial act can completely change the course of one's life. Of course, Macbeth's actions are anything but trivial! The students really begin to question the whys and the hows of the things that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do in their quest to achieve their goals. They begin to "argue" for their own individual opinions. They usually have fabulous discussions about who is really to blame for Macbeth's actions. Like I said, I love it!

Baby King is a...

GIRL!!!! I couldn't wait any longer, so I sent Connie a text to find out, but as soon as I got home from Bunco I checked my email and had "confirmation" from Amy. I am SO SO SO excited!! This will be the first baby girl in the Vest family in 24 years! Jess, this means you aren't the baby girl of the family anymore. :) I'm sure with Will being the older brother she will be one tough chick because he doesn't too much care for the "sissy girls." But with Aunt Nonnie and Aunt Trina to spoil her rotten, she'll also love the girly stuff. It is going to be so much fun to watch her and Sam as they grow up just 5 months apart in age.