Life and Times of the Sharp Family

Last year Coach Wilcox talked me into purchasing some rain gear.  It's made of this interesting fabric that repels water, but it's not the most stylish things I've ever worn.  Man, was I glad I had it tonight. In the midst of the rain and the wind, I was trying to make a Homecoming Halftime Ceremony happen.  I was running all over the place like a crazy person.  I was stressed, I was tired (we had homecoming festivities to plan and execute all day), and I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to pull it off. But, I wasn't wet! And, you know what?  We pulled it off.  There are definitely things to work on for next time, but we did it.  We got the major tasks associated with homecoming accomplished: Formal Assembly, Pep Assembly, and Halftime Ceremony all have come and gone.  A king was crowned and a queen was crowned.  Now, let's hear it for a well-deserved bath and some pajamas. Thank God for rain gear! Lord, thank you fo...

Yes, I am thankful for my girls, as in, my daughters.  There's evidence of that enough in this blog, for sure. But, tonight, I'm choosing to write about my girls, as in, my girls on the Western High School cross-country team who also help with student council.  There's a crew of them that I see an awful lot of in the fall.  Of course, I see them at practices.  This season, I have been running with them often, which is where I feel I do my very best coaching.  But, I also get a chance to bond with them and get to know them in a a new and different way.  I also see them at student council Power Play (which meets twice a week at the end of the school day) and on occasions like tonight, where we are setting up big productions.  One, I even have in class as well.  The trifecta! Tonight I watched these girls run a tough workout in the pouring rain and then put hours into designing a set for the homecoming formal assembly tomorrow.  They we...

As I'm sitting here typing this, thinking about the gazillion and one things I have to do yet before going to bed, my little girl is sitting contentedly on my lap (she doesn't sit still a whole lot any more).  I am smelling her hair, feeling her body heat, and snuggling on her.  I missed her so much today (I didn't get home from school until 8 pm) and I am so happy that she's letting just me hold her.  She's singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and looking awfully cute in her footie jammies.  I am so thankful to be in this exact place, right now. Thank God for AJ on my lap! Lord, thank you for my little girl and for the physical contact we got to have tonight.  Thank you for letting me be close to her after a long day away from her.  If it is your will, I pray that you will give me more time with my kids in the upcoming days, even with the craziness of school, homecoming, and cross-country.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Each of my kids has a "lovey" that they are extremely attached to: Little Robbie: Little Robbie is a frog that Colby gave me when I was a senior in high school leaving for spring break.  One day Breslin found it and just fell in love.  The frog was carried around every day, but didn't have a name until one day when Breslin was sick and I stayed home from school with him.  We visited the pharmacy to fill a prescription for him.  The frog naturally had to come along, and Breslin clutched him as I waited in line. The pharmacist felt bad for my sick boy and called Breslin "poor Little Robbie"  he saw his real first name, Robert, on the prescription he was filling).  I thought it was hilarious that Breslin could be known as Robbie, so I decided to honor that memory by giving the name to the frog.  Little Robbie has been all over, including the UP and preschool.  Everyone in our household and most anyone who spends ...

At my bridal shower, my mother-in-law gave me a quilt that her grandmother made.  It is a beautiful patchwork quilt that I sit with nearly every night, even in the summer.  I lovingly call this quilt "Grandma Combs" after its creator.  It is soft and cozy, and I am quite convinced that it has the power to soothe and console.  It has the perfect texture, weight, and scent.  I cannot even count the number of times it has been cried into or has been tucked tightly around someone who wasn't feeling well.  Somehow, things just seem better when you have Grandma Combs around you.  That statement might sound weird to you, but everyone who lives in my house from oldest to youngest knows what I mean when I say it. Thank God for Grandma Combs! Lord, thank you for this special blanket and for the many memories it is a part of.  Thank you for its uncanny ability to comfort.  Thank you for the ladies in my life who blessed me by giving it t...

Leave it to me to take a nice, heart-warming post from my husband and follow it up with something completely inane. Sometimes, big, sentimental posts overwhelm me.  I could spend hours of my life trying to figure out what to say to honor the really important things and people in my life only to walk away feeling as though I still didn't do it/them justice, despite my best efforts. Therefore, I give you closets. I am thankful that every closet in my household has been purged of clothes that do not fit or are out of season.  Today, I finished up this monumental task without totally flipping out.  I even managed to bin up a lot of the stuff that was still nice to take into the consignment store.  I plan to celebrate by having a larger-than-normal-sized glass of wine and whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Maybe do a dance. It's a big deal, after all.  And I am so thankful that by the grace of God it was accomplished today. Thank Go...

This is Colby.  I asked Alaina tonight if I could do a guest post. Today, I am as thankful as I have ever been to share my life with Alaina.  I spent the entire day today running a 100KM relay race with friends and family.  Even after the craziest week of her life, Alaina had no problem allowing me to spend the day having fun, while she worked like crazy.  My wife is just flat out amazing.  I won't focus on all the amazing things she does in regards to: parenting, teaching, and coaching.  This quick post is going to focus on why she is an amazing wife. 1. She is still smoking hot,sorry family members that read her blog, but it is true.  Three kids and 11 years later I can say that without a doubt she is as beautiful as she ever has been.  I love taking her out in public.  It makes me look so cool.  People probably think to themselves: that dude must have a lot of money because that girl is way too hot for him.  Nope, I don't h...

It's Friday. Have I ever been as thankful for those two words as I am this evening?  I really don't think so.  Thank God it's finally Friday! Lord, thank you for that this week is over.  Please help me to rest and recover so that next week can be a better one.  In your name I pray, Amen.

After another tough day today, I managed to get home, get the kids a snack, and lock myself out of the house all within the span of about 10 minutes. I was banging on the door to no avail.  I finally started yelling Breslin's name as loud as I could, hoping he could somehow hear my voice. "BRESLIN!" yells crazed, demented woman outside her door. "Yes, mommy?" says sweet little Breslin, nicely eating his snack at the kitchen table. "CAN YOU OPEN THE DOOR FOR MOMMY?" demented woman asks loudly and desperately. "Okay, sure, mommy." ...several seconds pass... "ARE YOU COMING?" "Oh, yes, mommy, I'm coming." ...Breslin's face appears; door opens slowly... "Oh, thank you Breslin.  That was such a good boy.  Thank you for letting mommy in." "Yeah, mom, I rescued you." "Yes, you sure did.  I'm so thankful." "I look like a superhero, but I'm not really a su...

Today, my baby work up covered in puke.  Babies are so glamorous, aren't they? They don't really like to have sick children at day care, so I raised the white flag of surrender and called in for a sick day. So, for the third day in a row, I had to have a sub in my classroom.  It is what it is.  This week has just been nuts. Looking at the positives, though, I realized how great it was to just be at home for a day.  It's hard to believe that we have only been in school three weeks, but it's been long enough for me to regain my appreciation for spending time at home.  I spent all day with AJ and I got to go for a run. The run was great, because I wasn't training, I wasn't coaching; I wasn't doing anything except for running -- just for the sake of running.  Just because I could. It was a wonderful, liberating feeling.  I didn't care how long it took or how far I went, I just did it.  I listened to AJ sing and babble to herself.  ...

Homecoming is coming! We had our first student council meeting today dedicated to the successful planning and execution of an awesome homecoming at Western High School.  It was the highlight of my day.  40 of the best and brightest students Western has to offer were in my room, talking animatedly about ideas for dress-up days and loudly laughing about potential pep assembly games.  The excitement and enthusiasm in the room were infectious.  I am so happy to be a part of it and I can't wait to see what these kids come ups with. Thank God for Homecoming Excitement! Dear Lord, thank you for the energy that radiated from the students in my room today.  Help us to continue on in that momentum and make this the most amazing homecoming Western has seen in years.  When we get stressed and frazzled, help us to remember the passion and excitement from this day.  In your name I pray, Amen.

I try really hard to stay positive in this blog.  Some days are easier than others.  Today will not be easy.  Today was hard.  I feel stretched in a zillion gabillion directions.  I'm playing a lot of roles and not feeling like I'm doing a good job in any of them.  And today was long.  When I combine leaving the house at 6:20 am for school, having cross-country practice until 5 pm, and then rushing the kids to Battle Creek for gymnastics at 6 pm, and then have a overwhelming amount of school work to do to be ready for tomorrow still hanging over my head at 7:30 when I finally walk into my house again...well, let's just say that I feel a little like I got run over by one of those trucks I was stuck behind on 94 tonight. Are you playing your violin yet? I'm fine.  I can do this, by God's grace and with His strength, right?  Phillipians 4:13, for Pete's sake! Oy vay. (sp?) Here we go.  After all that crap I mentioned above, I...

After watching Cole and Cal dominate at Pop Warmer football this afternoon, Colby and I decided to take the kids to Indian Brook Farms to pick out some pumpkins.  We thought they'd look nice on our front stoop for a couple of weeks before carving them up.  It's still pretty early in the pumpkin season, so we were the only ones at the farm.  We were taking our We took a few minutes to feed the goats when out of nowhere a tiny chicken came running up to us at full speed.  Dharia was delighted, of course, and took the chicken's friendliness as an invitation to pet it, which she did.  To my surprise, the chicken not only did not run away, but it continued to circle Dharia and follow her wherever she went.  She even started picking it up and carrying it in her arms like it belonged to her.  I wasn't sure how the owners of the farm would feel about it, so we tried to get her to stop, especially when AJ tried to follow suit and ended up picking it up by the t...

I really don't get too many phone calls.  I'm fine with that.  I'm definitely not a phone person.  More often than not, my phone is lost or dead. When my phone rang this morning shortly after I arrived at the cross-country meet, I figured it was a runner's family who needed directions or was running late.  Fielding these phone calls are a part of my job description as assistant coach.  I looked down and instead saw Colby's name, so I was thinking either something was wrong or one of the kids got a hold of the phone.  It wouldn't be like him to call me at cross-country for a non-emergency sort of situation. Expecting to hear either Colby's voice or a lot of background noise at my house, I said, "Hello?"  And was promply greeted by a sweet little girl's voice replying, "Hello, Mommy!  I love you!  We are playing at home!  I wanted to say I love you!" It was my Dharia, just calling to say hi. I asked her to give the phone to her ...

I love this coffee cup because it helps me to keep perspective: "A Clean House is a Sign of a Wasted Life" Sometimes I worry about the disaster my house has become.  The cup becomes a strangely reassuring object, offering sound wisdom while delivering steamy, delicious coffee all once. Thank God for a coffee cup perspective! Lord, thank you for this coffee cup and for its help in reminding me where a clean house ranks in terms of life's important things.  Thank you for speaking to us and blessing us in big and small ways as well as in unexpected places.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Colby, being a 4th grade teacher obsessed with children's literature, introduced us to Pete the Cat the other day.  We read the book, listened to the song, and watched a video of the author reading the book AND singing the song. So, today when we got home, I couldn't BELIEVE it when Breslin told us the story, nearly verbatim.  Complete with dancing and singing: I LOVE my son. Thank God for Pete the Cat! Keep walking along and singing your song.  Because it's all good. Lord, thank you for Pete the Cat.  Thank you for my son, who is smart and funny and knows how to make me laugh.  Thank you for stories to remind us what life is all about.  In your name I pray, Amen. On another note, Pete the Cat also rocks in his school shoes, a snappy little number that was stuck in my head all day and with which Breslin sang heartily to me when I picked him up from daycare today.

Don't worry, I'm not technically thankful for an umbrella today.  I already did that once. I am thankful for the fact that when I picked up the kids from day care today, the older two each wanted to hold the umbrella and walk under it.  As a compromise, they both held it with one hand and walked slowly together to the van, chatting and laughing the whole way. It was so cute I can't even describe it. Thank God for my kids under my umbrella! Lord, thank you for the friendship my kids share.  Please cultivate it and help it to flourish as they grow older.  Thank you for these precious moments I have to rejuvenate me after a long day.  In your name I pray, Amen.

I signed up to be a part of a school-wide initiative to give struggling students help in the areas they needed it as a part of the regular school day.  Basically, if you were failing a class, for whatever reason, our philosophy was that we weren't going to let you fail in peace.  We would be on you until we were so annoying that you relented and did the work or studied what you needed to study or made up the test you bombed or whatever. On the other hand, we wanted to give students incentive to keep their grades up and realized that not all students would necessarily need this extra help session that took place during school.  What would we do with them? Out of this entire predicament (and after a LOT of discussion), came the system we call "Power Play".  Here's how it works: Students attend their regular classes throughout the day, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, each class is shorter by about 5 minutes, leaving us a 35 minute chunk at the end of the day. ...

I tried something new this year for one of those awkward first week of school activities, and to be honest, I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  The assignment was called "Dear Mrs. Sharp" and in it, I gave my students several prompts to address in a letter to me.  These prompts included identifying what they thought of as their strengths and weaknesses, telling me what they loved for teachers to do and what they hated for teachers to do, describing how they learned the best and what didn't work for them, and anything else that they wanted for me to know.  I always do some sort of thing to get to know my students, but this was the first time I had them format it as a letter and was the first time I ventured into some pretty personal material.  Not necessarily comfortable ground for a high school science teacher (we leave all that touchy-feely stuff to the English teacher, in general). :) Responses ranged from bare bones to two pages of typed material.  M...

Today I crossed the finish line in under six hours at the Rev 3 Cedar Point Half Triathlon.  It was a little sad, because it meant I didn't win the free Yakima Bike Rack they were promising to the person who had the closest guess to their finishing time.  Great, because I was under by over 15 minutes! It was a great day.  The waters of Lake Erie were crisp and calm.  I had the best swim I've ever had in a triathlon.  I felt amazing coming out of the water.  And I laughed like crazy when the "professional wetsuit strippers" made getting out of my wetsuit about a bagillion times easier than it normally is.  This is actual footage from today's race: The bike was a bit more difficult than I expected.  What?  Northern Ohio has hills ?  But, there was beautiful scenery along the lake and through some of the nature preserves.  It got warm, but I was smart and drank my entire Camelbak of water, 2 full Gatorades, and another ...

I am the assistant cross-country coach at Western High School under a long-time legend who started the program over thirty years ago and has been at the helm ever since.  He was also my coach when I was in high school, so we have a special bond between us.  After three years together, we work pretty well as a team, I think.  This morning, he picked me up in his Jaguar to go to our meet at Harper Creek High School in Battle Creek, Michigan.  Before we got too far, however, he had decided that we were going to stop for a quick breakfast at Roma's Cafe in Marshall.  It was one of those cute little mom and pop breakfast places.  We each had eggs, hash browns, and toast.  We split a giant cinnamon roll that was amazing.  It was really nice just to talk outside of a practice or meet.  I really enjoyed it.  It was a great way to start the day. Thank God for breakfast with Coach W! Lord, thank you for a delicious and fun breakfast with coach...

At Western's home football game tonight, the athletic department honored teachers in our district by granting them free admission to the game and recognizing those present by name on the field at half time. I had a great time at the game and it felt good to have the positive support and encouragement from the Western community. Thank God for Teacher Appreciation Night! Lord, thank you for the encouragement I received tonight and for the people who made it happen.  In your name I pray, Amen.

There was an abundance of fruit flies in my kitchen tonight. The source? Two old brown bananas sitting on my counter. In a big bowl, I squished them up, added some sugar, oil, an egg, some cinnamon, baking soda,and flour. An hour in the oven went by and presto! We had a fresh, delicious snack. My whole house was filled with a wonderful aroma. The fruit flies had to vamos. Thank God for homemade banana bread! Lord, thank you for giving me the chance to do some baking tonight. I am grateful for the opportunity to make us of the resources you bless us with. Thank you for all the extra blessings that came about through it as well. In your name I pray, Amen.

Right now I'm watching Breslin spin around the living room making himself dizzy.  He's throwing his head back with his arms out to the side, laughing and spinning around in a circle.  He's shrieking "Whee!  Whee!" and every once in a while he collapses in a heap of giggles on the rug.  The smile on his face and his running commentary is priceless. Thank God for Breslin getting dizzy! Lord, thank you for my Breslin.  Thank you for the fun he's having amusing himself getting dizzy.  Thank you for a rare glimpse of him being carefree.  Thank you for letting me watch him and fall in love with him more tonight.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Today I am thankful for the tradition that my mom started with Evan and I in elementary school.  When we got home from our first day, she would always make her delicious chocolate chip cookies.  We would eat them and talk about how the day went.  Today was a good first day, as far as first days go.  We had a kick-off assembly this morning that was a ton of fun and my classes went pretty smoothly, despite the fact that I had to talk pretty much non-stop the entire time.  Despite what you may think, I hate those days of teaching where I am the center of the room for the majority of the hour.  I'd much rather play the role of "facilitator" than be center stage.  After school, we had a beast of a workout in cross-country.  It took forever and it was very challenging, especially since the kids were doing it after a full day of school for the first time.  By the time I picked up the kids and got home, the simple task of making chocolate chip co...

Whoever said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," makes me want to punch them in the face a little bit. Tonight is the night I have been dreading since June 10th.  I knew it would be here.  I knew I would feel like this, which is so the opposite of smiling because it happened.  It's more like wanting to throw myself onto the floor, bang my fists against the ground and say a few choice four letter words. But, even though I don't necessarily feel like it, I am choosing to smile because it happened, to be thankful that it happened, to see how unbelievably blessed I am to be in a job that gives me summers -- among other things. Summer is over, but it was a great summer.  And it would be selfish and unfair to be anything less than incredibly grateful for it. Thank God for the summer of '11! Lord, thank you for the summer.  Thank you for the way I know my kids so much better now than when it started.  Thank you for all the fun we ...

I took AJ into town today for some last minute school supply shopping.  I went to Meijer because I really wanted to get a little goldfish for my classroom.  So, we dinked around getting Breslin and Dharia some of the essentials they needed for preschool and then headed over to the pet section to get a fish.  We stood and waited.  And waited.  We asked an associate for help, who called someone else to help.  And we waited.  We picked up a red phone to ask for some help.  And waited.  You get the idea.  AJ was an angel, though, happily playing with whatever I put in her path to distract her.  Finally, we got our 19 cent goldfish (whose name is Hydrogen Avogadro, by the way) and were on our way. Having completed this errand that had already taken about three times longer than I had anticipated it would, I thought that I would stop and get a stamp to mail a letter that I had been wanting to get into the mail for a couple of days....

Today, I had the unhappy task of taking inventory of my children's fall and winter clothes situation.  I wanted to know, specifically, what they were going to need and what they were all set with for the upcoming (hopefully) chillier months. In the middle of my frantic sorting by size and season, my kids decided to sneakily rearrange piles and steal clothes.  It was a team effort, for sure, and I was outnumbered three to one.  I was more than just a little irritated when they began their little escapades, but when I saw the outfits they were putting themselves into, I couldn't help but smile. At what age does in stop being cute to have your belly hanging out from the bottom of your tank top? When do you stop being able to get away with a puffy vest, panties, and Crocs? I guess the answer is that you never should try any of these outfits outside of the privacy of your own home.  It was so fun to see what they picked out for themselves today.  It was a...

I ran the interval workout with my cross-country girls today.  It was challenging, but definitely rewarding.  Not only is it a way to get a sneaky workout in while I'm working, it is a way to connect with the girls in a way that I don't usually get to as a coach.  As we struggle through the workout together, I can encourage them, push them, and give them advice to become smarter runners.  The sport of cross-country has a huge psychological component (at least, in my opinion it does), and I think that most young girls need to be taught how to run their races mentally just as much or more than they need to be coached to reach their ultimate physical potential.  Today, for example, we focused on the last half of our 400s.  As soon as we hit the halfway point, we intentionally pushed ourselves to the brink during the last 200 meters.  By breaking the interval into pieces, we made it more manageable mentally and we actually ended up running them at a m...

Tonight I am thankful for Linda.  I ran in to her tonight at Western's first home football game of the season and was reminded of the many reasons that I love her.  She was one of my gymnastics coaches when I was in high school -- and was amazing in that capacity.  Now, she is a colleague (she teaches middle school PE at Western), someone I officiate gymnastics with (and carpool to meets with), and a friend.  She always seems excited to see me, and is genuinely interested in my life and what I have to say.  We have plenty to talk about when we bump into each other at school or riding together to meets.  She laughs openly and honestly and is sincere about helping others.  She is dedicated to the sport of gymnastics.  I honestly believe she contributes more than anyone else in the state to the sport by organizing officials for meets, clarifying rules, and recruiting new, young judges.  In summary, she is just a fabulous person who I am pro...