Washington and Jefferson

In honor of Martin Luther King, we had a day off of work, so I went and spent some time with Washington and Jefferson, two of our beloved Founding Fathers!

It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY with temperatures in the 50's and blue skies with minimal wind. Many families were out touring the monuments, so the run was not solo in the least (I loved seeing people from all over the country and world out in DC).

Here's what Pres. GEORGE WASHINGTON has had to say:
"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all" (letter to the Captains of the Virginia Regiments).


"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light."

A word of warning..."However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion" (Farewell Address, Sep. 17, 1796).

"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."
Words from the mouth of THOMAS JEFFERSON:

"Never spend your money before you have it."

"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine."

"Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it."

"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Seriously?

My 7th graders this year are incredibly respectful and generally VERY well behaved. Earlier this week, one student surprised me with this:
Response (admittedly not the most effective): "Don't let me see that again..." He put it away and we moved on. There was no time to rethink my response or waste time distracting the class from the lesson... Clearly they were not all as engaged in the discussion as I thought, afterall. Haha. I guess I'll have to be better on my toes next time.

Welcome 2010!

As the new year has come, I feel rejuvenated and ready to better take on the world ahead :) While that may be too large of a task, I will take each day as it comes and see the brighter side- it's all about the EXPERIENCE.

So, welcome 2010! You may see a new title to the ol' blog coming along, however I am happy with the notion still that there is something, at LEAST one thing, always to sing about.

I will not update on the past month, as I have shared it in my Christmas letter and my yearly update. In short, Christmas was spent relaxing and enjoying FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY. I love being with my FAMILY.