Life on the Runn...

Monday mornings are never fun, not for anyone, but this Monday morning was especially draining, and that was before the work day even commenced.  After a weekend away, a weekend in one of my favorite places with my favorite of all people, it's hard to get back to the grind of day-to-day, not-so-normal-anymore life. I didn't get enough sleep last night, and I started up the ol' fly-back-and-forth-to-Colorado grind. The more I thought about it this morning, though, the more I realized one thing: one more Monday means one less Monday until I get to have another fabulous weekend like the I one had this past weekend. This has been one of the most stressful personal and professional stretches of my life, and we're only a month into the school year.  Training for a half-marathon, planning new curriculum, selling a house, and navigating the ins and outs of a 'bi-costal' marriage take a lot out of a girl.  Nonetheless, I spent the first stretch of time at my western

Saturday marked year four for Team Zoe, which was created by our cousins Ed and Kaleena. honors their brave little Zoe, who was born with a rare condition called Heterotaxy Syndrome. For my run buddy, my cousin Jenna, and me, it marked the second year we decided to tackle the 8K. The heart of Team Zoe Ed, Kaleena, Jayce, and Zoe  I spent the better part of the day before worrying about the weather - it rained nearly all day and I thought we might be braving our first in-the-rain run. I was glad to see the sun was shining when I woke up Saturday morning, but I was surprised to find I could see my breath while waiting for the bus.  We were good planners and didn't want to be rushing to the start line or waiting for busses, so we met around 8:15am.  We expected the weather would warm up a bit, but we landed up staying in our layers.  Once we got to the meeting place, we gathered our purple ribbons, beads, and bandaids for our Team Zoe shirts.  We chatted, jumped around to stay w

They say summer is over, and in a family full of teachers, few would disagree.  This past weekend, however, the Runnells family squeezed a bit more summer out of Wisconsin -- and from what I hear, there wasn't much to be had in the past three months, so good for us! On Saturday, after Brian and I got some good climbing in and visited with some pals at Adventure Rock, we headed to Miller  Park to join the Runnells family for the annual Brewers outing.  This year, being that we weren't sure of our schedule when it was decision time, we opted not to get tickets for the game, but we were all in for the tailgate.  The usual suspects were there -- almost all of the cousins, the debates over who is the #1 grandchild, the blonde brownies, and the butter horns -- and even Grandpa decided to join in on the fun.  We chatted, we grilled, we drank, we laughed, and when it was game time, Brian and I scooped up Grandpa and headed out. I definitely wouldn't have minded spending more time

This year is a unique one when it comes to the world of being Mrs. R., high school English teacher. When I joined the West staff, I was assigned English 10 as one of the courses I would teach. Fast-forward, and those 10th graders have become 12th graders.  Coincidentally, I also teach 12th grade, so a good number of the names on my roster are familiar...my 10th grade babies have become 12th grade big kids, and they're all mine again.      It's especially nice that on Teacher Recognition Night for Waukesha West, I was asked to wear the jersey of one of my seniors who was also once one of my sophomores.  And while West plays my alma mater, Mukwonago, this evening, I'm not ashamed to say that I hope the Wolverines walk away with the "W."  There is a lot to be proud of here in the 'Shaw!!  #82 - coincidence?! Notice my beloved Bucky in the background :)