Then and now

 We lived here...

...and moved to here.

First blog entry

My wife and I raised two sons in the pretty suburb of Lacey, Washington. I have decades of memories of their growing up: little league, elementary school, camping trips, first girlfriends, and finally the joy of watching our sons thrive in the same high school where I teach English and journalism.

Graduation day is this Saturday for our youngest son. Less than a year ago, his older brother graduated as well, and took off for college in warmer climates. And squeezed between their two graduations, we took a leap, gave away half our possessions, sold the sprawling house with the huge lawn, and now, from my window five stories high, I can watch homeless women push shopping carts in the streets below.

It's all been a little crazy - all these life changes. But our friend Connie, who lived down the street from us in Lacey, is our same age, married with two kids still in high school. She just accepted a job teaching in the United Arab Emirates. I think she's crazy, but she told me that our move to the city was her inspiration to head off to the Middle East. So I guess we're all a little crazy. If we allow ourselves to be.

This blog exists because I am working on a Master's degree from Boise State University. I am enrolled in a class titled "Blogging in the Classroom," and while this may be more of a personal blog than a professional one, I am hoping to learn more about the tools of blogging, which I will ultimately pass on to my own high school students.