This week has been stressful.
It’s been emotional in the crying sense of the word.
Despite the downer days that seem to have invaded my week, herein lies my happiness:
… the fun-size pack of Starburst that, once unwrapped, I discover holds both a red and a pink. My favorite Starburst flavors.
… the third grade boy who tends to be disruptive, needs to be redirected a lot, and sometimes is a bit sassy in my release time class is the one who absolutely ROCKS the Bible trivia game we played. That makes my heart grin from valve to aortic pump.
… my preschool buddy, C., who visited my table at least three times during the lenten dinner, just to jump around and say hi. It was recently his birthday. I asked him, “Hey, C, how old are you?” He told me 44 and insisted upon it. “You’re older than me!” I told him. His mother later clarified that he is four years old and weighs 44 pounds.
… I discover that my favorite go-to paper store, Paper Source, has a blog.
… friends whom I love and who listen to my crying rants at 11pm via gmail chat.
… a 20 minute reading slot as the “community reader” for a first grade class at the elementary school. The leader of my intern committee is their teacher and invited me over for the honor. A new favorite children’s book: The Paper Bag Princess.
… my supervisor’s sense of humor. love it.
… second and third graders who insist on giving me hugs when I pick them up for release time every Wednesday.
… a ridiculously awesome mail week.
… recognizing that I finally feel completely comfortable with where I am. Dawson and Grace Lutheran have become [a] home.
there's no place like gnome. 
I would just like to point out the the title of this blog entry is also the name of a shop in Decorah. Coincidence? Probably not.