Reflection

Tomorrow is the last day of school in my first year of teaching.

1.     I applied for 21 jobs and had 3 interviews. I got my job 3 weeks before school started, while I was still working 3 part time jobs. I was completely unprepared to start the school year. I faked it for the entire first semester. I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I cried a lot. I spent a lot of brainstorming and redoing lesson plans, classroom management strategies, gradebooks (never mind that we don’t use traditional grading or behavior management strategies at our school). I tried to be productive over fall break, but I was so drained I just slept.

2.     I fake that I know what I’m doing better. I have consistent gradebooks. my lessons align better with my standards and school wide themes.

3.     I was starting to feel confident about entering my second year of teaching, and then I got thrown a curve ball.

4.     I will be teaching K-12 PE and health. I am scared to death about it and don’t know how I will be able to teach anything with so many variations on a theme to teach. How will I assess students to know when to change what I am doing. How can I possibly develop relationships with students when I have so many and only 40 minutes with them a week.

5.     I feel as though I’m going to be a first year teacher all over again.

6.     Why the change? Politics.

7.     I wrote about trying not to take politics personally back in November. But, it is so hard not to, when it’s politics that is making it harder and harder to educate the whole child.  When politics is what cuts their PE time from 165 minutes a week to 40. When I no longer get to teach Health and PE, but an integrated “wellness” class (I know to some this sounds great – but I can tell you why it’s not).

My students have been fantastic guinea pigs. I have to thank them for making my first year rich and colorful. I have to thank my colleagues for being INCREDIBLY supportive and wise. I have to thank Nathan, my family, and Rachel for listening to me rant, cry, brainstorm, and reflect.

I did a lot of changing and growing this year as an educator. Here’s to the next teaching adventure. I am curious to see where it leads.

Meet Detour

I sleep a lot in the car when Nathan drives. I think it makes him a bit crazy, but I just can't help it! We went on a mini road trip the day before we picked up Detour. We came back after being out in the sun for 12 hours and Nathan was trying desperately to keep me awake. So, we started trying to name the kitty. We were having a hard time coming up with names so we started randomly calling off the words we could see on road signs and store fronts. The "Detour" sign made us giggle for some reason. Then later in the drive, we started listed orange things and "Detour" signs came up again. So the name "Detour" was added to list.

Detour was a nameless kitty for about 6 hours until we agreed that "Detour" was the right name for our new kitty!

Back to School Nervous Tummy

Back to school in the morning and I can't sleep.....

I don't usually make New Years Resolutions because I try to make change when the need arises and not simply at the New Year. But, this year, I made a few resolutions. One BIG one in particular and it starts tomorrow.

I generally vent to Nathan but then do nothing to fix it. I just gripe and complain. It takes a toll on him and our relationship and destroys the balance of our home. He never complains about it to me, but it bothers me.

I read an article in a magazine over break (Whole Living or Real Simple) that talked about the danger of "talking it out." Basically the article said that if you "talk it out" you only end up transferring your stress and frustration to someone else.Valid point, yes, but what about when I need to talk it out because it helps me see multiple sides of an issue? That's why I devised my resolution.

I will not vocalize my frustration or vent to Nathan about anything work related until:

1. I have taken a few deep breaths
2. I have written down, journaled about, and reflected on the problem myself
3. I am ready to really brainstorm workable solutions

Let's see how I do!

Veggie Chili

Being back in MN for the holidays is wonderful. Still getting pampered. But, sometimes I have to help out as well :) The family is so wonderful about my desire to eat vegetarian. Who knows how long this "project" will last, but I really enjoy not having meat in my diet. Anyhow. Mom asked me to make dinner for my dad and Nathan while she was at Grandma's. Mom suggested veggie chili. I was only half listening when she was doling out instructions :) so I agreed to cook something that I have never actually made. Ooops. The final product was quite tasty. Although, I certainly wouldn't call it chili. Chili in my mind will always give you gas and must be consumed with large amounts of cheese. This soup, except maybe for those not accustomed to large amounts of fiber, will not give you gas. And, it didn't pair well with cheese. Definitely not chili. It did however, pair nicely with corn bread. The recipe is adapted from a few recipes I found online. Here's my best recollection of what I made. Wish I had pictures...

Veggie Chili/Soup

2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (mine was yellow), diced

1 tablespoons jarred garlic – probably 3 cloves of fresh

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 carrots, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes including the liquid

2 cups water

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained

Directions

1.     Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2.     Add onions. Cook until soft.

3.     Add spices and cooked until fragrant.

4.     Add the rest of the vegetables. Cook until beginning to soften. (I like vegetables in soups to be a little hard still, you could probably increase this cooking time if you like softer veggies in soup).

5.     Add tomatoes, water, and vegetable broth.

6.     Simmer for 45 minutes.

7.     Bring soup to a boil.

8.     Add beans.

9.     Reduce heat and simmer for 30 more minutes.

Reflection

Hello blog world,

It’s wonderful to take a break from reality (never mind the stack of papers I have to grade and the lessons I still need to plan) and sit at home. I love coming “home” to Minnesota. Even though I live in Indiana and I have a wonderful home with Nathan, coming to my parents’ house is comforting and warm and feels so good. It’s nice to be taken care of when I feel as though all I do is care for others.

Today I went to my old high school and had some wonderful conversations with two of my high school mentors. It was so fantastic to talk to them as colleagues, but to still have them share their wisdom with me in ways that make sense to me. They can still see me as their student and can use that knowledge to help me continue to grow as  a professional. I hope I grow to understand my students in the same way. I hope that in 5 years or 10 years a student can come to me for help and I can still offer them the support that they need.

Walking into my high school makes me think about what I want for my students. I am under no illusion that my high school is perfect and meeting the needs of all students, but there are clearly things working in the building. I know that they have students with challenging lives and students who need tremendous support to get through the day and the year, but there is not the overwhelming culture of panic in the building that I experience on a daily basis.

As I brainstormed with these two teachers about how to be more effective in my classroom two main pieces of advice came through:

1.    Don’t take the politics and current educational climate personally. I am facing a tough evaluation and rehiring process in my district and there is a good chance that as a first year teacher, I wont be back. I want to go back, but it may not be possible. But, I still have a job to do and students to reach and they need me to keep what happens in my classroom consistent and rigorous. They still need to learn. And while I (and the other teachers) are scared and frustrated, the students should not feel our frustration. I have only been doing this for 3.5 months and have a long road ahead of me, so if I keep plugging away and doing what I need to do, eventually I will be a great teacher. 

2.    Continue to reflect. I made a comment to one of my mentors that I have been enjoying reading another one of my high school mentors blogs. She is the most reflective teacher I know and probably one of the best teachers I know and knowing and understanding her students. I always thought in high school that she had it all figured out. Now I clearly see that she doesn’t. I think it’s fantastic. My mentor essentially said – I hope she doesn’t and I hope no one ever does. He’s so right. Complacency is not going to help our educational system improve. Constantly changing, adapting, learning, and reflecting is only going to continue to make teachers improve and therefore the ability (cognitively and socially) of our students will continue to improve.

I feel renewed to go back and face whatever my job hands to me. I’m not there yet (and I may never be there) but I have passion and determination.

7 Weeks In

I have been a teacher for 7 weeks. Perhaps that is enough of an explanation of why I have not been blogging much recently, perhaps not. These last 7 weeks have at times felt like a year has gone by and other times it feels as though seconds have past. I have not had enough time to do anything, yet I have accomplished so much.

A few highlights:

1. I am seen as a colleague and an expert. I do not feel as though I have enough skills and to be considered the first let alone the second. But, it does feel good knowing that my opinions are respected and valued.

2. Nathan and I moved - again. But, I no longer commute an hour and 20 each way. Now I drive 10 minutes each way! The house, while still a little chaotic feels like a home. Which is good because I had to give up my MN driver's license and that did not feel good.

3. Some students hate me and others love me. Yes it's a highlight to have students dislike you for making them work. It is school and students should be working, learning. It is my goal every day to make learning meaningful and relevant, but sometimes that means doing a few unpleasant tasks. The students who say "good morning" and ask me how I am doing make me want to come back everyday and teach.

My desk - classroom photos will have to follow!

Blissful Weekends

Back in June, for our anniversary Nathan and I spent 2 days and 1 night in Indianapolis just to get away for a little while. Going on a mini-vaca is not in the cards for the last two weeks of summer. But, perhaps I can create the feel of our little romantic getaway at home. I'm thinking pancakes or crepes with fresh fruit and tea and a walk to the farmers market or some where else pretty in Muncie.

Lunch at Yats. Delicious.

Afternoon snack,  wine tasting...ended up being free. How lucky!

Dinner and listening to music at the Italian Festival

More food than anyone can eat for breakfast!

Not sure what that herb is!

Breakfast at Taste. Right down the street from the hostel.

 

Summer Goals Update 2

1. Well, I did a whole lot better on the grocery shopping....but I ate out WAY too many times. So I think the last two weeks have been an epic fail here!

2. Well, let's just say that life has gotten in the way of my reading. It's a good thing I promise! I am fairly certain that I will have plenty of quality book listening time (3 hours a day in the car) because....

3. I GOT A JOB!!!!!!! I'll be teaching secondary Health and PE at an Indianapolis Public School. I’m a little nervous to day the least, but I can’t wait to do what I set out to do so many years ago!

A little timeline for you:

July 12: Interview #3
July 13: Accepted job!
July 20: Signed all official paperwork
July 22: Get ID and go to first teacher meeting
August 1: New Teacher Orientation
August 2-5: Teacher meetings, set up classroom and office, finish planning the first few week of instruction.
August 8: School Starts!


EEEEEEKKKKK! Did I mention that I moved last week and that I have a huge work Project to finsih?!


Good thing I like to busy! So thankful that things are falling into place.

Summer Goals Update 1

I'm doing alright on my summer goals.

1. Well, I broke down and shopped at WalMart. I sold my soul and it totally was NOT worth it. Everyone always raves about how much cheaper WalMart shopping is. But, in my experience (granted this was a one time, multi-variable experiment) my grocery bill was not significantly cheaper (perhaps it has to do with the types of food I tend buy). The only thing I will consider buying again were the WalMart frozen veggies. Definitely cheaper. However, when weighing the pros and cons, I'd rather shop elsewhere,  keep my soul, and spend an extra 50 cents on veggies.

2. I finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I really enjoyed it! Being able to be first on the waiting list for a brand new book is one of perks of living in a small town! My mom said she's number 300 at her library and she requested it long before I did!

Interview one outfit. I was wearing stockings.

3. No job yet. However, I have had 1 interviews and have a follow up scheduled and I have another interview this week. So practice makes perfect! Right?

Summer Goals

1. Spend less on groceries, eat more.

I read a blogger who has been feeding her family on $50 week. I tend to spend about $40 a week for 2. I figure if she can successfully scale back, so can I. I’m only feeding 2. So, I’m going to try to spend less and eat more. Meaning, no more wasted veggies or moldy bread. I’ll need to get better at freezing food and only buying what we can consume in a week – even if it means slightly more boring meals. 

2. Read more books.

            - State of Wonder, Ann Patchett

            - The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon

- Darkness Before Dawn, Susan Draper (This one is part of a young adult trilogy that has been a huge hit with young teens and high school students).

3. Find a job.

Teacher Fair

"To be wise, go out a meet people."

- African Proverb

How perfect is this quote. And it was today's - the day I had six interviews at the teacher fair.

Yesterday was spent navagating through tons of applicants to find schools/corporations with potential Health or Health/PE posting and then finding a time slot on the schools interview sign up to squeeze my name. Well, I made it onto six lists. After today, a few sound interesting a few are just not going to work out. If all else fails, I had a lot of practice talking and I certainly met and networked with a lot of people.

On to the thank you notes...

Birthday Love

I look forward to my birthday every year. It’s probably my favorite day of the year with the exception of maybe Christmas. It’s not really about the presents (although they certainly don’t hurt). It’s the one day per year that I can think about myself. I love spending the day reflecting on my past year and making plans for the next. This year, I had a lot to reflect on – 22 was a big year! Some highlights:

-       Student teaching

-       Graduation

-       A new boyfriend

-       London

-       New apartment

-       Joblessness

This past Tuesday (January 25) was my 23^rd birthday. I had some wonderful pampering going on all day, but I also did a lot of thinking about what I want to happen in the next year. I wont force all of the details of my brain’s twisted thinking on you, but it was a fantastic day of reflection. The essentials:

1.     I must get a full time job ASAP!

2.     I must apply for my teaching license in any state that I may want to teach in.

3.     I must remember that everyone is not perfect and that imperfections are part of what make a person unique, interesting, and loveable.

4.     I must remember to stretch in the morning when I wake up…. 23 is old!

I have to share a few birthday photos – only because of how wonderful my Nathan was all day.

Breakfast (not in bed, much too messy):

I lounged on the couch all morning reading blogs while he slaved away in the kitchen. He even watched a YouTube video on how to cut green onions (totally adorable)!

Dinner (Out, because cooking one extravagant meal in a day in plenty):

We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (compliments of a left over Christmas gift card) and had DELICIOUS margaritas. I wore my new-to-me skirt from goodwill and felt fantastic. 

There is a shelf and some art waiting to be hung on the wall above the book case...

***Side note – that banner in the background of the photo – my sister made

that for me last year with help from Katie at On the Banks of Squaw Creek. 

It did a nice job fancying up my plain wall.

3 of my girlfriends came over to enjoy the perfectly decorated cake – I had wondered what took Nathan so long in decorating! 

1 Week Later

I have been home for a week now. Everyone said to expect a little culture shock - I didn't think I would - and I'm not. Well, kind of. It hits a strange times. There are moments in the last week where I would give anything to be back and other moments that I'm so happy to be home.

Things I miss about London:

- Never being bored (there was always something to do, close by)
- Not driving (I hate looking at the gas tank drop - maybe some of this has to do with the fact that i'm not driving my lovely car - but seriously, I hate putting gas in a car)
- Low cost healthy food at the store that looks fresh.....seriously I don't want preservatives.
- Public transport - but that goes with the whole car thing
- Ethnic food (maybe that's because I live in Muncie)
- Pastry
- Culture
- Affordable art/music/dance
- Walking everywhere

Things I'm glad to have back:

- Nathan (maybe I should just take him to London)
- My cell phone with a keyboard
- The ability to call my family whenever I want
- Fast Internet
- Street signs/road names that you can read - in other words, I don't have to get lost because the road names are posted on some buildings.

Morocco in Photos

It's been almost a week since my adventures in Morocco and I can honestly say, it was the best of my three side trips. I loved Dublin for it's familiarity and size, I love Prague for it's richness of culture and history, but I loved Morocco for it's smells, the people, the culture, the weather, the history, and so much more.

Marrakesh, Morocco was like unlike anywhere I have ever been. In many ways it reminded me of Istanbul and in other ways it reminded me of the smaller cities in Kenya. But, the winding alley ways, the markets, the square, the museums, the riads, and the mosques were totally unique (at least compared to my tiny experience).

I could probably go on forever describing every detail of our trip (ask Nathan, I talked non stop for at least a half hour before he could get a single word in) but I'll just share some photos with you instead.

We tried to find the Palmerie but ended up at the Jardin Majorelle.

I love the detail in design.

We found the Palmerie, but not the camels.

So we hailed a taxi back to the square.

And went to a museum of caftans instead!

And then to an old Koranic school.

And then hung out in the square

And watched some snake charming.

 The day we went mountain climbing in the Ourika Valley...

Traditional Moroccan plant based medicine.

These bridges are everywhere across this river.

I made it!

After the bridge.

Pointing us in the right direction

The small waterfall.

Half way to our destination.

Brandon at the top of the second waterfall.

At the second waterfall.

Our camel ride in the rain!

Brandon eating snails in the market. You could still see the eyes, so I graciously declined!

Our hostel, a converted riad. Riads are the old mansions in the cities. Many of them have been converted into hotels and bed and breakfasts, but many are still owned by locals and foreign transplants. 

They all look kind of grimy from the outside. Generally, wealthy Moroccans don't want people to know how much money they have, so they keep the outside of their property looking run down and then have exquisite interior design. This became a little more clear to us when we stood on the terrace of our hostel and looked around at all of the surrounding private terraces. 

Our room was in the bottom left hand corner.

One of the hostel sitting areas.

From on top of our hostel.

For those of you who think I can't pack light....mom.... this is all I took!

The backpack and purse not all the stuff in the background!

d

I can pack light!

Waterfalls and Camels

It is only 8 and I am totally zonked so short post today long post to follow.

We left the hostel about 9 and drove out to the Ourika Valley. We were with a very interesting (to put it poltely) group of tourists! We drove and stopped along the way to get fabulous view of the Morrocan country side. We scaled a moutain (in the High Atlas) to see stunning waterfalls, crossed a rickety bridge and rode camels in the rain. That's right. We rode in the rain. I though it was a touch funny to be riding a desert animal while it was raining. I had the camel with the most personality and almost got bucked off a few times - but it was totally worth it.

We shopped a little and now I'm going to get in bed and read. We are going sight seeing in the morning and then back to London for the last week. Eek!

More to follow... and pictures!

I have way too many thoughts

I promise that photos will follow there is just too much to document to wait until I get back.

Brandon and I went trekking today - kind of - by accident. We left the hostel and tried to find these 2 museums that we wanted to see. Our hostel is near the Souks - the marketplace made up of winding alleys, the map made it look like we needed to walk one way so we did. WRONG. we got to see the real Marrakech this morning. We stopped some French people to ask if they knew how to get there, they didn't, we asked a shop keeper and he didn't, we got stopped by a man on the streets who spoke about 4 different languages and he offered to have US take HIM to lunch and he would tell us where to go. When we refused he kindly told us that we weren't anywhere close. So, we went back to the square, had a snack and ventured out.

Let me tell you, guide books are fantastic most of the time. Apparently not the one I have. It told us to take the #1 bus to get to "La Palmerie," Well folks, it doesn't go that far. We got the end of the line and the driver felt bad for us so he pointed us in the direction of "le Jardin Marjorelle." It was well worth it. It is a stunning botanical garden with bamboo and palm tress, foutains, little ponds and tres jolie flowers.

After purusing the garden, we decided to walk to "la palmerie" becuase according to my guide book there were supposed to be camel rides there. WRONG. Perhaps during high tourist seasonm but certainly not now. We were a good 2 miles away from the tourist part of town. We finally came accross a taxi stand and paid a little extra to get the taxi to take us back to town. We finally found the museums that we had originally been looking for.

It's super hard reading signs in the museums in French, but everything was great to look at! We had dinner at on of the pop up restaurants and and now just taking a break until we go out exploring once again this evening.

A few side notes...

1. I'm not kidding when i say the streets in the souk are windy. Here are the directions we used to get to our hostel....

DIRECTIONS: From Djemaa el-Fnaa: The easiest way to get to the hostel is from the famous Djemaa el-Fnaa square. Ask your cab driver to leave you at what is popularly known as "Café Argana" although the canopy reads "Restaurant Argana". The name "Argana" is written in large letters on the roof of the premises. If you arrive by bus, or the square is closed to cars, look for this cafe, or ask someone to show you the way to it. It's located on one of the corners of the square. Facing the cafe, take the street immediately to the left. Very soon you will get to an open space. Cross this taking the street on your left under the archway. Pass through the arch and you'll be in Mouassine street. This is a fairly wide street (for the Medina standards), with shops left and right. Walk straight down this street. Soon on your right you'll see a small corner shop called 'Fnaque Berber' followed by another arch, walk directly through it. After approximately 100 meters you'll get to a small open space (or a place where the street widens), once you enter this area you will find a small arch behind and to your right. This is a slight u-turn but do not worry as our street starts there! You can read its name at the top of the arch: 'Derb Laghnaiz Lamouassine'. Pass through the arch and walk down three steps. You're almost there. This street has no shops and in most parts is roofed. Walk and don't leave the wall on your left. After 50-60 meters of walking down this winding street, you'll find a door with our name on it: 'Equity Point'. Welcome!!

2. While walking past a shop a man came up behind us and said "want to come in the back, and smoke. Hashish?" Totaly un-pc but this man resembled and sounded like Jafar from Aladin.

First Impressions

This weekend, I am exploring Marrakech Moracco with Brandon! We are staying in this absolutely stunning hostel with free internet and computers so, even though I don't have a way to post pictures while I'm here, I figure I may as well update you guys on this trip.

We landed in at the airport and passed through customs. We only had one minor snaffu- but hopefull it will be the only one of the trip. Stupidly we forgot that we can't use our debit cards outside of Europe. Luckily bBrandon had a different ATM card on him and withdrew enough cash for the both of us! I'll Just have to pay him back when we get home!

We found a cheap bus instead of a taxi that dropped us off in an excellent location. We are staying right off the main sauqre (Jemma El Fna) in the Medina. The sqaure was bustling with little food stands, dried fruit stands, and shops. We almost had the wool pulled over our eyes at one restaurant but a nice French lady pointed out a discrepency on the menue to us and we were fine. So in otherwords, I may actually get to use those 6 years of French after all! The food was delicious we had chicken and lamb kebabs and bread and veggies.

After dinner we walked around the sqaure we peeked in some shops. It's going to be fun haggling in the markets! I'll keep you all posted! Until then, I'm going to go relax by the pool under the night skym or maybe on the poof chairs in the courtyard, at our hostel that is only costing us 25 dollars a night! Score!

I think I'm going to love it here.

NOT My Fault!

I happened to tell Denise (the director of the program/my mentor/my boss/my mom away from home) that I'd been eying a particular London ducky. I had no intention of buying it, but she did. So, I have yet another PERFECT ducky for my collection!

Duck to protect the rest!

A Circle of Stones, a Giant Bath, and some Wizards

Wednesday the group went to Stonehenge, Bath, and Lacock. Everything had a little element of magic involved! I love excursions with Philippa – our main tour guide and the art history professor. She makes even really boring things come to life.

I really wasn’t all that jazzed about Stonehenge – it’s cool, but not really my thing. Holy Cow – much cooler in person than in photos. I never learned much about it in school – perhaps because the whole thing is an unsolved mystery.

You can’t get very close to the monument because people used to chip little pieces of the stone off. It’s a little bit annoying that you have to pay to walk a giant circle around the thing. It’s stood for over 5,000 years – I don’t think it’s going anywhere any time soon!

I’ve posted a few pictures, but you can’t see some of the really cool things in the pictures. First, the tall standing stones all have little knobs on the top, the ones that lay across in the circle have notches that fit onto the knobs. What’s so cool about that is that the knobs and notches would have been carved with tools made out of bone or wood and maybe bronze towards the end of construction.

No one really knows why it was built. It is perfectly circular and is on a raised patch of grass. The sun rises and sets over one stone. It may have been a seasonal calendar based on the rising and setting of the sun or it may have been a religious site. There are graves scattered all around it on the hillsides. It was pretty neat.

I loved Bath. It’s a big city, but it’s not overwhelming. We didn’t stay long unfortunately so I only got – yet again – a taste. I’ll be going back in my lifetime for sure. We popped into Bath Abbey where the very first coronation of a King took place. Edward the First – maybe. Our main stop was in the Roman Bath. Very cool! Again, I learned nothing of this bath in history, but it was a huge deal. Julius Cesar took baths there. I must say, I find it a touch creepy that people all took Baths together.

You can still see the steam as it rising up from the Baths today – although you can’t get in. The Romans were some of the first people to really value bathing. They even valued massage and oil treatments. Very spa like! 

Bath kind of fell apart over the years and then in the 18^th century had a revival of sorts. All the rich people from London would travel there to relax and unwind in the spas. Jane Austen was a frequent visitor to Bath. There are homes in Bath that are still maintained by the rich and famous and go for about 4 – 5 million pounds….a row house for 4-5 million pounds. I’d at least like my own garden for that kind of money! 

30 row houses - about 4 to 5 million pounds each!

On the way home we stopped in Lacock. It’s a cute little historical town. We didn’t learn much about it other than it was the site of filming for many of the scenes in the first two Harry Potter movies. I had some yummy ice cream and window shopped!

The Simple Things

I've been enjoying the simple things in life a lot recently. Like......


The flower market where I bought beautiful yellow tulips. The Columbia Road Flower Market is only about 2 block long and there are little shops lining the back of it. The flower vendors shout their prices as you walk past their stands. I went with Jordan (one of the girls in my flat) and we just wandered in and out of shops and marveled at the variety of flowers...anyone heard of kangaroo paws?

Kangaroo Paws

My Tulips

Tuesday night Marybeth and I finally made it to ballet! I've been wanting to go this entire trip and Marybeth came along. I got my tush kicked! It was so amazing - I sweat buckets and had rosy cheeks! I'm definitely going to try to go again in the next 20 days that I have left! It's so amazing reconnecting with things that I used to love.

After ballet - all hot and sweaty.

 

I know the holidays are right around the corner when the citrus in the stores go back to being affordable prices! Today I bought satsumas! Yay for easy peel yummy, seedless goodness!