MONDAY
The phone rang.
It was about 6 p.m. The name on the caller ID was none other than my long-time friend and current rock 'n roller Evan Coulombe. I was expecting to hear from him this week, because he had told me that he and his band that he plays for (Joshua James and the Great North Platte) would be stopping in Chapel Hill on their east coast tour on November the 6th. Naturally, I assumed this was a confirmation call. And the answer would be "yes". Celeste and I could hardly wait to see Evan and hang out on a Friday night in Chapel Hill.
Evan: "Hey Jack, did you get my message?"
Me: "No. Was it about the show on Friday?"
Evan: "Uh...Friday? Did I say Friday?"
Me: "You most definitely said Friday. November 6th. Let me pull up the message and double check. Where are you right now?"
Evan: "Chapel Hill. We're playing tonight."
Me: (not available)
I've omitted the rest of the conversation for profanity's sake, but you can see where I'm going with this. Evan made a terrible scheduling error, leaving Celeste and I in a tight spot on a school night. The week had just begun. We were already tired, and Chapel Hill is a 45 minute drive from our apartment. To make matters worse, his band didn't start their set until 10:30. But heck, what are friends for?
So yes, this week started off with me getting 3 hours of sleep after going to a concert on a school night. Celeste elected not to join me as she requires a little more sleep than I do. She's a smart girl. But even though it was logically stupid for me to do what I did, it was totally worth it. It was great to see Evan again (it had been since my brother Clay's wedding in May) and the band played a great show.
Evan's the guy on the right, rocking out like a mad man.TUESDAY
Aside from being really tired, it was a normal day of work for both of us ("normal" being a relative term).
Aside from being really tired, it was a normal day of work for both of us ("normal" being a relative term).
WEDNESDAY
Last football game of the season for the Henderson Middle School Rams. Last year we went undefeated and became Conference Champs. This year we barely broke .500. But break it we did, and after struggling pretty much from day 1, our boys pulled out a solid 22-8 victory over the Jaguars of Cedar Creek Middle School.
Coaching has been a great experience. It allowed me to get to know my students better, throw the football around on a near-daily basis, and perhaps best of all, coaching has given me an added dose of "street cred" around the school, with both students and teachers. It's amazing the added amount of respect you get when you invest yourself into the lives of the kids OUTside the classroom.
Last football game of the season for the Henderson Middle School Rams. Last year we went undefeated and became Conference Champs. This year we barely broke .500. But break it we did, and after struggling pretty much from day 1, our boys pulled out a solid 22-8 victory over the Jaguars of Cedar Creek Middle School.
Coaching has been a great experience. It allowed me to get to know my students better, throw the football around on a near-daily basis, and perhaps best of all, coaching has given me an added dose of "street cred" around the school, with both students and teachers. It's amazing the added amount of respect you get when you invest yourself into the lives of the kids OUTside the classroom.
THURSDAY
Every Thursday is like a mini-holiday. We call it "Friday Eve". It's a pretty big deal. Aside from being the day before the end of the week, it also means that our favorite TV shows are on (30 Rock and Community). This Thursday was a very enjoyable one.
In the classroom, things didn't go as well. I gave a test on post-Revolutionary America that my kids didn't do very well on, and Celeste gave her kids a lab on fossils, but they didn't seem to appreciate the material the way she had hoped. Sometimes (a lot of times, actually), our efforts fall on deaf ears and callous hearts. Sometimes it makes us wonder why we even try. Then we realize that the problem will grow even worse if someone's not trying, so just pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again the next day.
In the classroom, things didn't go as well. I gave a test on post-Revolutionary America that my kids didn't do very well on, and Celeste gave her kids a lab on fossils, but they didn't seem to appreciate the material the way she had hoped. Sometimes (a lot of times, actually), our efforts fall on deaf ears and callous hearts. Sometimes it makes us wonder why we even try. Then we realize that the problem will grow even worse if someone's not trying, so just pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again the next day.
FRIDAY
Today was our Primary Progam at church. Celeste teaches the Valiant kids (which in our small branch is any kid over the age of 7), and I'm the pianist, so we were both in the program. Celeste nailed her lines and I wowed the crowed with my primary s0ngs. The Branch President actually had to ask the congregation to stop throwing flowers on stage.
And now here we are, sitting comfortably in our Oxford apartment. It's 75 degrees outside, and we'll probably go for a walk later. For now we're waiting for dinner and trying to get a little extra school work done before the week begins anew.
We may have been as anxious as our kids were for the week to end (not uncommon among teachers). We went on a date and had dinner by candlelight at a Southern staple: the Cracker Barrell. It was delicious. We then went to the Northern Vance (Celeste's school) vs. Southern Vance football game. Northern got demolished and we left at halftime. I think their record for the season was 1-10.
We thought we were going to continue our date at home, where we had planned to watch the recently rented "Wall-E". I fell asleep 10 minutes into the movie. Celeste was down 4 minutes later.
We thought we were going to continue our date at home, where we had planned to watch the recently rented "Wall-E". I fell asleep 10 minutes into the movie. Celeste was down 4 minutes later.
SATURDAY
Aside from the usual Satruday activities (cleaning, laundry, etc.), we played tennis in the hot sun and enjoyed a day of 70-degree weather. We also watched many of my favorite college football teams bite the dust.
SUNDAY
(ALMOST THERE)
(ALMOST THERE)
Today was our Primary Progam at church. Celeste teaches the Valiant kids (which in our small branch is any kid over the age of 7), and I'm the pianist, so we were both in the program. Celeste nailed her lines and I wowed the crowed with my primary s0ngs. The Branch President actually had to ask the congregation to stop throwing flowers on stage.
And now here we are, sitting comfortably in our Oxford apartment. It's 75 degrees outside, and we'll probably go for a walk later. For now we're waiting for dinner and trying to get a little extra school work done before the week begins anew.
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