Just what I needed

I'm not quite sure how these things happened, but today it was JUST what I needed.

I had the 5th graders make Christmas cards today (it's their last English lesson before Christmas break). I told them to write (in Japanese) letters to their family for the holiday season. After leaving class, I was run down by one of my students who bashfully handed me this gem...

Made. my. WEEK

I proudly showed it off to all the teachers... to the point where they started laughing at me. I didn't care. Oh little Maika... you don't know how badly I needed that card.

PS. That's a portrait of ME and what I wore to school today (down to the necklace and everything!).

Some other things that helped lift my spirits today...

Yeahhhh clicker training!!! Positive reinforcement for the winnn :)

Now I'm not a fan of Chocolate Rain (seriously, that song is SO WERID. Chocolate rain makes it sound like it's raining poo-poo), but this song is undoubtedly awesome.

And finally.... this next clip has new appreciation in my heart. To the friends who call themselves "world travelers", "marathon runners", and "rock climbers", I could NOT have said it better than this (and this is not because of my undying love for FRIENDS)...