"lasts"

So I just finished Friday of week......let me calculate ....... 41/42!!!! Wow!! I snapped a bunch of cheesy class photos today much to the dismay of my students. I'm getting sentimental in my final days!! I already lost three students early who had to leave for various reasons. When one student, Brandon, took his final today I almost cried!

This weekend is the last "normal" weekend. Next week I have one normal day of teaching (review), then Tuesday-Thursday is finals. Most days are pretty short for the high school teachers (aha!) so I'm going to be busy grading, cleaning, and packing!!!! I just can't believe it's coming to a close. Sunday is the little Kindergartner's graduation (awwwwww) and Thursday is 8th grade and Sunday my seniors are all graduated!! Yikes. I don't really have anything else to say about leaving. I'm not really ready to process it. I feel like a huge tsunami is building in front of me and I'll just try and prepare as much as possible for it to strike! I'm guessing it will strike sometime next week. But maybe not until I'm actually saying goodbye and leaving my Island home for good. If there was a see-saw in my brain, one side would be the excitement of coming home, and the other would be the devastation of leaving. They go back and forth all the time. Today I was more sad about leaving. It was my last Friday teaching ever....too many "lasts" and I'm not happy about it...

I really have fallen in love here. My heart is torn in two. I hope someone perfects the "Transporter" from Star Trek so I can just beam back here next month. Pray for me as I say my goodbyes, get everything ready for the return, and go through sad tearful goodbyes with so many people I have grown to love.

:) I am very excited to go home though. It has been a long, long time since I've seen my beautiful Columbia River Gorge and that gorgeous PDX airport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!