Life and Times of the Sharp Family

Unexpectedly, my meet in Coldwater was cancelled tonight.  So, instead of an afternoon and evening full of running around, I had plenty of free time to fill. I called my dad to let him know that he didn't need to watch the girls tonight, and he suggested attending Western's "Chilly Jazz" dinner to support the Western Bands.  I have tons of kids in the jazz band, so we packed up the girls and headed out.  In addition to some tasty chili, bread, and brownies, we had the opportunity to listen to some great jazz.  It was fun and wonderful to see my students in this capacity, and I had the feeling that they were happy to see me there too.  I was thankful for the time and ability to support my students and to have fun with my family. Thank God for the Chilly Jazz Dinner! Lord, thank you for fun events that allow me to see my students shine in areas outside of the classroom.  Thank you for a job that is meaningful.  Thank you for a free evening do spend...

I had to judge a meet at Jackson High tonight.  I was sort of expecting it to be awful.  Great attitude, huh?  Yeah, sorry about that.  It was just that I was judging with a new judge, which typically means I have to do a lot more work explaining, verifying, and training.  It's requires a significantly greater amount of brain energy than judging with another experienced judge.  It also makes the meet take much longer, meaning a late night getting home.  Additionally, Jackson High is typically a very low level team, which means that their routines are difficult to judge, not to mention a little painful sometimes. To my pleasant surprise, the new judge did an absolutely incredible job.  I did much less tutoring than what I expected and the meet progressed nicely, wrapping up at a very reasonable time. Similarly, the Jackson High team showed some impressive improvements over years previous.  Many of the girls took on a greater...

I was ravenous when I tore open my lunch bag today.  I was horrified when I found that my sizable portion of chicken broccoli alfredo was, shall we say, less than fresh. I was devastated when I realized that my lunch actually contained very little in the way of edible material. I was thrilled when my colleague told me there were packets of ramen noodles in the cupboard of the teacher's lounge that were free to any one who wanted them. I was antsy as I waited for the microwave to cook my noodles. I was joyful as I took my first bite and full by the time was done. I was thankful for something tasty to eat at lunch. Thank God for ramen noodles! Lord, thank you for my back up lunch today.  Thank you for all the ways you provide every day.  In your name I pray, Amen.

It has been a long time since we had a snow day, but today we got to stay home and spend the day cuddled up on the couch in pajamas. Lord, thank you for giving us one more day of rest this week. In Your name I pray, Amen.

For some reason that's mostly unknown to me, I tend to change our bedsheets on Sunday morning.  That means when I crawl in for a Sunday afternoon nap, I get the sensation of fresh, tight-fitting sheets.  It's truly a delightful feeling.  Today I got to take a much-needed nap after a morning of snowboarding.  I breathed in the clean smell of fabric softener as I drifted into a deep, refreshing sleep.  I felt like a brand new person for the rest of the evening. Thank God for Clean Sheet Sunday! Lord, thank you for small things in life that bring us joy.  In your name I pray, Amen.

After a long day of judging, I was hanging out with AJ on the couch, doing some general snuggling and catching up.  At one point, she turned to me and said, "Do Roast Beef Toes, Momma!"  What? It took me a few moments to realize that she wanted me to do "This Little Piggy Went to Market", because, you know, the third little piggy had roast beef (and the fourth had none).  I laughed and and was filled with joy at the shrieks of delight that followed every "Wee, wee, wee all the way home!" I was so thankful for this time with my daughter this evening. Thank God for Roast Beef Toes! Lord, thank you for funny moments and for my children, who bring me joy every day.  In your name I pray, Amen.

As is becoming fairly typical, I feel asleep on the couch tonight shortly after getting home.  The girls were bouncing around the house on an apparent sugar high, but their incessant chatter, jumping, and giggling didn't prevent me from nodding off for a little while.  When I woke up, I saw that nestled up next to me was my snoring, sleeping son.  While I slept, he had crawled up onto the couch with me, wriggled around to the back, snuggled up under my blanket and fell into a deep sleep.  I was so thankful to be able to share this sweet moment with my son. Thank God for my nap buddy! Lord, thank you for giving me a chance to share a nap with my son.  Thank you for sweet moments like these that I will remember for the rest of my life.  In your name I pray, Amen.