Mini Vacation

So this past weekend I drove out to see my best friend Casey. She lives in Phoenix. So I packed up my little honda and got on the road. I enjoy spending time driving. It's about a five and a half hour drive and I rocked out to some mixed cds I made, and looked around at the beautiful, dry scenery.

We have been friends for over ten years. We met while going to NAU. She works in marketing, and so when I got to town I was able to meet her in her office. I don't work in an office, and have never been in that kind of work environment. It was fun to see her in her element. Casey is really good at what she does and that company is lucky to have her.

After the office we went and got some yummy Thai food for dinner and visited her community garden plot. She has sun flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some herbs. A man in her mom's neighborhood gave the community land (when he passed away) and requested that a garden be created. Each person pays a yearly fee for up keep and water. There is a food bank plot and a box for extra food that others have that would be given to the food bank. It's a really awesome program. Who doesn't love fresh fruits and veggies?!

Saturday we did some shopping and then watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. That was part of plan for me to go out and see her in the first place. Casey had DVR-ed the six episodes and so we had a mini marathon. It was great.

Then we went to Bingo After Dark (BAD Bingo). It was soooo much fun. Eight Dollars got us 11 rounds of bingo and a lot of glow sticks. Half way through the sessions they stop and have a dance party. There had to be 500 people in the room. AND on the last game of bingo - I GOT A BINGO! I won 150$ It was awesome.

Sunday we enjoyed some samples at Costco and a trip to the pool. The high on Sunday was 111 - soooo hot!

Monday I packed up my bags and headed home. It was a great weekend!

Summer Housewife

Why is it that when I am on summer vacation I want to be a housewife. Like full on butcher, baker, candle sick maker.

I really want to get a sewing machine this summer. I have two very dear friends that are both pregnant and I want to make almost everything from Creation Corner!

I also really want to try and bake bread. My grandmother is a wonderful baker and every year on major holidays she bakes these amazing bread loaves. Her best are her egg breads. I'm not sure of the official name but they are light and fluffy and wonderful. I really want to try these rolls. My friend Carly is an amazing woman and mother. I pretty much want to be her when I grow up. Always have.

So I'm off to attempt a few of these house wifey projects of mine.

Here are a list of things I would like to tackle this summer:

Clean out and organize the garage
Bake bread
Bake a cake from scratch
More crock pot cooking
Clean out my closet
Organize the Pantry
Craft various craft things

It's going to be a great summer!

Alive and tired

It's been a few weeks. I know.

A lot has been going on around here. I'm now down to 19 days until the end of the school year.

I'm tired and stressed. And have a few hundred papers to grade and enter. Two books two finish teaching.

It's all insane really.

But - I'm going to be crafting up a storm this summer. I am interested in investing in a cheap but reliable sewing machine. My Gramma has two amazing machines that she payed big bucks for in the 80's when she was making wonderful dresses for me as a petite little girl. I go over to her house for bigger projects - like when I made some friends aprons for Christmas. But an old friend of mine Tasha over at Creation Corner has so many amazing little projects that I think I could tackle if I had my own little machine.

But who am I kidding. Who wouldn't want to hang out with Gram, and use her sewing machines. Which she says are the equivalent of Cadillacs in the sewing world.

All I know is - I need to get to June 8th.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Don't Worry I know when I'll be back. Friday Night!

Today - well tonight really. I am going to Georgia to visit my dear friend Cuirstaun. She and I have been friends for over 15 years. She was a brides made in my wedding and really just an all around amazing person.

Here were are when she visited at Christmas time. You see Cuirstaun lives in Georgia now because she picked up her stuff and moved there almost two years ago in order to make her dream of getting her masters in public health happen. She will be graduating on May 7th. I won't be able to be there for her graduation but because I am on spring break - and we got a good tax return this year I am flying out to see her.

When she moved to GA we all joked that she would finally fall in love with a Strong Black Man. As you see from the picture below - she fell in love, but with a dorky white guy. We all adore Calvin and I hope that some day soon we will be toasting to their happy future.



I look forward to our late night trips to Walmart, picking peaches in the orchards, a day in Atlanta, and eating at Paula Dean's Restaurant.

The last time we went on an adventure to my friend Michele's wedding. We ended up having one wild adventure. From trying to find cheep parking and then subsequently being terrified by walking in a creepy parking structure - to being sung to by a homeless man. We are quiet the pair and I can't imagine what we will get up to.

Two Down!

So I finished The Glass Castle I have to say that it was not my very favorite book. And as far as my book club books have gone, it's way better than Three Cups of Tea*. But it was certainly no Book Thief! the biggest hurdle I had to get over with this book was that it was really about how horrible her early life was and then in the last 60 pages she was able to tell how she was able to get away from her family. It's one of those books where you have to keep asking "How could it get worse?!" And then it does.

Before I finished The Glass Castle - I plowed through The Hunger Games. WINNER WINNER WINNER!!! Wow was this good. It's written for a younger reader and so the first 50 pages do a lot of the traditional exposition strategies that a younger reader would need. A few words are defined that an experienced reader might not need. But please do not let that deter you from reading this amazing book. It is a book that I keep thinking about. It's the first in a three part series. I loaned the first book to a friend of mine and she said that she already bought the second book, and said I could read it after she is done! So excited. It's a post-apocalyptic tale of a young girl who goes into fight for her life in "The Hunger Games". It has everything you would want in a good quick read. Romance, Bad Guys, Intrigue, Honor and Glory. I can not say enough. It's 384 pages of edge of your seat storytelling. So Glad I picked it up, and I think you should too!

Happy Reading to you!

*This is a great story. Don't get me wrong - I am all for giving back to the world. But the writing was just too dry for me. Mountain Mountain Mountain - Oh yea - I also built a school.

Spring break books!

MMMMmmmmm books.

Here is my list I would like to finish over spring break

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Even though I should have had this book finished on Friday for book club - I have about 60 pages to go)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I have heard people rave about this book and I got it today at Marshall's of all places. Who doesn't love a cheep book!

Ordinary People by Judith Guest - I have this on my supplemental reading list for my juniors.

Bossypants by Tina Fay - Bren just picked up this one at Target. Also on sale!

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - our next book club book.

Cheers to two weeks off and a whole lot of reading to enjoy!

What if there wasn't a spring break?

Today one of my very favorite mentors and I were talking.

He asked me how my week was going and I said - I am looking forward to spring break.

He said "What would happen if there was no spring break? We have to remember that there are a lot of people out there who won't get spring break, so we have to be thankful."

It made me think about how lucky I am that I have a job that allows me to take a break every couple of months. I know that I am waiting to get to Friday. I know that I am looking around my classroom and thinking that I may end up being more snappy at a child who may not need it. But it happens. No matter what kind of teacher you are, spring break is what keeps you sane. And summer is what keeps us coming back for more.

I know that tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. We have late start - so I will be working with my 10th grade group on some things in the morning, and then getting ready for our big prom ticket reveal at lunch, then the prom fashion show tomorrow night. Even though I have all of this to encounter I still enjoy the teaching of it all. I like the moments that allow me to connect with students. Even in my most desperate moment - I want my lessons to be good, I want them to mean something. I want to have my students remember what they learned in my classroom.

I got a wonderful idea from Facing History
- If you have not taken a look at this site - you should head on over. It ROCKS! I love all of the ideas that they give and resources that they offer (FREE). So tomorrow we are going to do the alphabet brainstorm for where hate comes from.

I'll let you know how it turns out.