A Lucky Day

If you read my blog, you know that I especially like the number 11 – a double number and my birthday number. Whenever I see it as part of the time displayed on a digital clock, I smile. For a moment, it feels like the universe is speaking and telling me all is OK. So when my husband’s recent surgery was scheduled for 5/11, I took it as a positive sign.

But still, one’s mind will wander. As part of the pre-surgery prep, I listened as the anestheologist explained, “As with any surgery, there are risks” and then had my husband sign his form giving consent for his cocktail which would put him to sleep.

“The surgery will last 1 hour and 10 minutes,” was also explained. I reminded myself of this as 75 minutes had passed since I received the phone text stating, “Case has started, everything is going as planned.” Then 85 minutes…

To distract myself, I opened the NYTimes app and pressed Play and I chose Wordle. I looked around the space I was sitting in as a way to brainstorm 5-letter words. Many chairs filled the waiting room. Some with partners also awaiting news like me. A flat-screen TV projected a grid filled with 6-digit case numbers. Next to the number I was focused on, 333366, was still Proc and not Recov.

To my left was a hospital worker. She was holding a long handled dustpan and a broom with black bristles. As I glanced at her movements, sweep-sweep-sweep, my mind thought BROOM…that’s a 5-letter word. But it has a double vowel. That seems like a wasteful strategy. But I still typed it in, too tired to be strategic today.

I pressed enter and the B turned green. Then the R, both OOs and then the M, too. ALL green! My phone screen showed a fireworks display and read, “Congratulations!”

My FIRST EVER 1st try WORDLE WIN!! Clearly a positive sign for this morning! Moments later, the doctor came out to the waiting room and sat down next to me. “All went as planned. He’s in recovery now and they will text you to come back soon to see him. We’ll keep him overnight and you can take him home tomorrow.”

May 11, 2023 – a lucky day!

Amsterdam by the Numbers

FLYING
3844 miles each way
2 planes going and 1 on the return
3 Ubers + bus + train + 1000s of steps through secrucity, board patrol to each planes’ gate

VISITING my 1st granddaughter
#14 and up a steep flight of 22-steps to our 1-bedroom AirB&B
4 block walk + Bus #17 + 2 block walk to #28 (Aden’s home!)
1 tap of my credit card to get on and 1 tap to get off
1 takeout meal enjoyed together (2 rice tables) and 1 night babysitting so new parents could enjoy a date
1 walk to the park on 1 sunny Saturday
Many hours spent holding and many more spent watching Aden rest so peacefully

EXPLORING my 1st granddaughter’s city
6 cloudy days, 1 day of blizzard-like snow and 1 sunny day
8 mornings of walking and finding a coffee shop for breakfast (0 Starbuck visits)
1 science museum (Nemo), 1 art gallery (Stedeljk), 1 boat tour, 1 outdoor market
A few buses and a few trams taken to navigate the city
But mostly walking many steps (15K+ a day) crossing many canals along the way

Aden and Aden’s home – so worth the visit!

Now that I am back home, I’m counting the days until I can visit her and her city again.
I hope it is soon!!

2-3-23

Back in February, as I awaited my granddaughter’s her arrival, I wrote HERE about how fun it would be for her to arrive on Feb. 3, 2023. (2-3-23) That same day, my daughter explained how dates are written in Amsterdam –> day / month / year.

Today – March 2, 2023 – is written like this in Amsterdam –> 2-3-23.
Today – March 2, 2023 – is also the day I am flying to Amsterdam!!
A week ago – Feb. 22, 2023 (2-22 or 22-2) I awoke to a text from Amsterdam saying my granddaughter, Aden, had arrived the day before (21-2-23-written the Dutch way) I wrote about her HERE!

I’m excited to fly today, March 2, 2023 and when I think of the date the way the Dutch do, I feel it is a lucky date! (2-3-23)
I look forward to sharing this story with my granddaughter, Aden. All about how lucky I felt on 2-3-23 to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to meet her for the first time!

Double Numbers

I’ve always liked double numbers.

Probably because my birthday is on the 11th of a month. Seeing a double number calms me. I think of repeated numbers as thumbs-up encouragement to me from a greater being. As I type this now, I know it may sound silly. You may be laughing at me. It may seem completely irrational. But it is something you now know about me. Double numbers calm me.

Yesterday, I was equally excited and nervous. I was at a State Reading Conference, slotted to present with another colleague from my district at 2:45pm (not a calming number).

However:
The night before, as we checked in, we were given the hotel room number 2020.  Calming.

As we checked out and checked our bags during the conference morning break, I glanced at my phone. It showed 10:10am. Calming.

As we sat and reviewed our presentation over lunch, I glanced at my phone again. It showed 12:12. Calming.

I’ve always been the kind of person who shares. If I learn something that works, I naturally want others to know. This attribute served me well as a Reading Coach. Yesterday, it gave me the opportunity to share with other Reading teachers in my state. But I won’t deny it. I do get nervous before presenting. I rehearse it over and over in my head. I want it to go well. But I am nervous.

Yesterday, when I glanced and saw double numbers around me, I was able to breathe. I was able to feel a calmness from above. I was able to smile and confidently start the presentation: by saying, “Welcome! Thanks for coming to hear about how we use Reading Notebooks with our students. I am excited to share some tips with you that I hope you can take back home to help when working with your students.”

NOTE: All the resources for our presentation are on this Padlet:

If you scroll over to the LAST column, you can view the powerpoint that Katlyn and I followed during our presentation. All the other columns on the padlet are resources we use with our students as we helped them make their invisible thinking they have while they read and make it VISIBLE in their reading notebook.