The Weekend Before the Storm... Student Teaching

As most of you know, I'm student teaching this semester. I then graduate. (Lots of screaming and jumping up and down while the dogs stare at me like I'm crazy.) I'm very excited.

With that excitement comes a little anxiety. Next week is when I'm left all alone to teach 126 little people. I'm going to take it as a good sign that I'm feeling the pressure. I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to my two girlfriends who are the greatest ever: Miranda and Elissa. These two lovely ladies are student teaching as well. I'm not sure what we would do without each other. Well, I know what we would do, but it wouldn't be pretty. Well, I must get back to working on the unit for the Great Gatsby. Wish me luck:-)!

Read more...

What happened to cards?

I was at Target today buying toilet paper and such when I noticed all the Valentine's cards. So, I wandered over to take a gander. Much to my surprise there was a little old lady who was starring intently at a card. I noticed she had plucked it from the section labeled "Granddaughter". She then turned to me and asked me to to read it. She then asked me if people still give cards. This was much to my amazement, because we were standing between two aisles lined with various cards. However, I thought about her statement for a minute and replied that people still give cards, but only a very special few. This made me sad. I can count on my right hand how many cards I have received in the last year (counting 2009). With that said, I bought a few cards and can't wait to send them. Yes, in the mail. You know, with a stamp.

Read more...

A couple things of note...

Yesterday was something of a break through for us with the remodel. First, we wired and installed the two new outdoor lights. Second, we hung MORE drywall. Last, but not least, we hung the new bathroom door. I realize this may all seem less than earth shattering, but I haven't had a proper bathroom door since the accidental fire last year. It's the little things in life, people. (When I say "we" I mostly mean Ryan and Harley).

A special thanks to Harley for his help yesterday!

I also made great headway on this darn poetry unit for the kiddos. I'm thinking I will be done with the planning today. Which is great, because I'll be teaching it VERY soon. Nothing like being prepared.

As for the Book Thief, it was wonderful in every way. I cried, laughed, and wondered about what I would do if I lived in that time, in that place. Thank you, Lynn for gifting it to me:-). Please, please, please put it on your list of books to read. It is worth every second. Not many books are as special as this one.

Read more...

Lazy Saturday

On this lazy Saturday morning I found two great new blogs. Well, they're new to me:-). You can find them here and here. The lovely photographs and enticing recipes are oh so inspiring. I hope you enjoy! I'm off to address wedding invites...finally.

Oh, I'm also finishing a lesson on poetry for 9th graders. Any suggestions?

Oh, I almost forgot; I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. AMAZING! The narrator is surprisingly charming , the setting is Nazi Germany, and the protagonist is a twelve year old girl who is keeping a dangerous secret. I'll let you know my feelings once I finish. However, I feel this is one of those books you don't want to finish, because that means it's over.

Read more...

First Snow!

Ryan called me from work saying, "It's snowing!". Of course, I was hoping that those little snow flakes would move north to our place. About five minutes later the ground started to turn white. I called the dogs, grabbed the camera, and headed out to enjoy our first snow of the season.
Lucy was busy licking the snow flakes as they fell, and Athena was posing for pictures like the cutie she is. After the photo op, Lucy and Athena played while I sipped on my hot chocolate and tried to catch a few snow flakes too. I love today!

Read more...

Christmas Shopping!

I had a wonderful day with my ma yesterday! We started the day with brunch at Mother's Bistro. I had a Greek frittata and my mom had the special frittata with potatoes and other lovely goodness. The atmosphere is so elegant and comfortable at Mother's, and the food is amazing!

After brunch we headed out on a shopping extravaganza in downtown Portland and NW 23rd. I don't want to give away details and ruin Christmas, but we did good. After shopping for hours, very hard for me, we went back to my mom's and admired the tree and talked about the upcoming week. It's amazing that my mom and I have never gone Christmas shopping together. It was so much fun, and really took the pressure off finding all the "perfect" gifts. I'm still struggling with getting a few gifts, but the wrapping is done and I'm ready to celebrate!

Read more...

And so it is...

So much has happened in last few days. My heart is about to explode with the thought of March being only three months away. Why March? Because March 27th will be the date of "The Big Day" as many are referring to it. Ryan and I, however, are referring to it as the day for our big party in celebration of our marriage. Weird, marriage:-). I can't believe how quickly it already seems to be approaching. I feel good though; I have no stress. Ryan has been full of great ideas and is great at helping me to simply make a decision. So, things done: the dress is bought and here, the site of the above mentioned party has been booked, colors picked, flowers just about finished, and music in the works. All-in-all, everything is going well on the wedding front.

As for all this time I have off, it seems to be taken up by plenty of fun things. I'm going Christmas shopping for the first time with my mom this week. We're doing a little brunch before hand. I'm very excited. I'm visiting a middle school this week as well. I want to catch up with as many girlfriends as possible. I feel as though I haven't had friends for the last few months, excluding my MIT-ers of course.

I'm also working on my unit for The Great Gatsby that I will teach in February. I want as much of the planning done before hand as possible. We'll see.

Ryan has made crazy progress on the new room and bathroom. With the help (motivation) of Harley, Ryan has: set the shower, installed the fan and light, and hooked up the heater. In no time we'll have it finished! To say the least, VERY EXCITING!

Well, I hope you all are enjoying the winter weather and enjoying the preparations for the upcoming holidays. Till next time!

Read more...