San Fran.

This summer has been approximately a million times fun, partly because I did neat things like travel (WHAT?). My adventuring took me down to San Fran.

I suppose I should start with I really don't like to fly, especially not by myself. But I did it, all the way to San Francisco (a whopping two hour flight). During the flight I mostly felt like I was super cool, I wasn't stressing out AND I was reading my favorite magazine (Real Simple) After we began our descent into San Fran, and were nearly to the ground, the pilot hooked the plane to the right, causing my to grab ahold of anything that was in my reach (fortunately there was no one sitting next to me). Once things got straightened out and the wheels were touching down, the guy behind me, loudly, says "MAN! If we would have been lower we would be a giant ball of fire right now." Naturally, I thought "NEAT!" not. (Remember this story for later blog post).

Anyways, I arrived in one piece to San Francisco, where I met my parents and our Austrian friends.

Here is a list of things that we did:

1. Chinese Food in Chinatown - super tasty.
2. Walked a ton, like seriously, everywhere.
3. Took a ferry out to Alcatraz
4. Did the audio guide tour of the island and its buildings- This part was probably my favorite part of the trip. It was super fascinating to walk around the place and learn about it.
5. While I was there, I bought a sign of Alcatraz's Regulation #30 to put in my classroom CLICK HERE. I bought it because I'm going to tell them about Alcatraz and do a related read aloud. I also purchased it because my students and coworkers know that our classroom does not follow this regulation, because loud learning is fun.
6. We went downtown and saw people climbing down the side of a super tall hotel for a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

See them way up there?
7. We also adventured to the top of this hotel and took in some gorgeous views of the city.
8. Visited the Cable Car museum and learned how they work (SO NEAT).
9. Visited Ghiradelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf

Overall, it was a pretty epic trip, I love San Francisco and can't wait to go visit again!

Peace.

p.s. All images on this page are property of me, if you want to use them please ask and give me credit.

Long time no talk.

I have been the worst blogger on the planet!

Quick life update:

1. I started grad school and I'm totally loving it! I really enjoy learning (nerd).
2. A bonus of grad school is getting to see my friends 4 days a week (in class, but whatever)


My new project... starting soon is to create a gratitude journal, where I write down one (or more) thing(s) a day that I am thankful for.

I think it is going to be way rad, and if you are lucky, I might even share some of my thoughts with YOU!


ex.
I am thankful for my parents, they are such kind people that have helped me become the person that I am today. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Time.

I think back to when I was an elementary school student and it always seemed as if the year was eons long. Now that I'm a "grown-up" (a term that I use loosely-mostly because I feel that it is rigid and boring) I feel that time passes far too quickly.

September marked the start of my first year of teaching where I purchased LOTS of things and set up my classroom. Today I tore all of that down and put it all into the same boxes that I felt like they just came out of. It was tough to do, mostly because I could hardly grasp how fast this year came and went.

Here are some things I learned through this far too short of a year:

1. This really is what I want to do with the rest of my working life (I hit that awkward post-grad phase where I thought "wow! I just spent a lot of money on a degree, what if I don't like it?" Fortunately for me, I found that it's a really swell thing to do everyday.

2. Send what you can to print shop because you probably will run out of copies. At which point you may need to talk one of your really amazing team teachers into letting you "borrow" some.

3. Flexibility is a must.

4. Think on your feet.

5. Laugh, a lot.

6. Enjoy them, save the cute notes, funny pictures, because some days when you feel overwhelmed with grading, or packing or whatever, you will look at them and laugh, smile or cry.

7. Set the bar high.

8. Ask your students about their events (boy scouts, swimming, soccer, running, etc). Try to attend them.

9. Take care of yourself, go to the gym (or not, like I did...)

10. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I asked a lot, and learned a lot from them.

11. Welcome lent items (but maybe make a list so you remember who to return them to).

12. Show your students you care, they care too.

13. Reflect, think about what you can do better next time, next minute, next day, next class, etc.

Okay, so I have a lot more, but this is all I want to share for now.

Keep it real.

Day 3, Part I

This morning I woke up so sore... I feel like a wimp for saying that my 5 pound weights are kicking my butt this much, but I'm seriously considering buying 3 pound weights- Jillian Michaels uses them, so why can't I?

Day 2

Today, I mostly had a sore back and arms- but I managed to stick with the program. Surprisingly, the workout seemed to pass by more quickly today!

Everybody is doing it..... Day One

Alright, today I jumped on the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred bandwagon.

When my cousin and I turned on the dvd and it said that the workout was only 20 minutes, I thought "how hard can this really be?!?"

Famous last words....within minutes of starting, I was already sweating a ton and could barely lift my wimpy 5 pound weights.
By the end of the workout I felt like I couldn't lift my arms...

I'm hoping that by posting on here I will be more likely to finish this adventure...

Living Room Reveal

We started with a living room that looked like this:


**Please note the semi-frightening nature of firetruck red, mustard yellow and lavender colors...






Now it looks like THIS:






I think my favorite part of this project was how I managed to be a total cheapskate and still make it look fabulous!

The-down-to-business-cost-break-down:

The super cute TV stand cost me $35 dollars (it was originally a light blue)
3 cans of spray paint to make blue TV stand black. $0.97 a piece for a grand total of $2.91
Coffee table: Free, thanks to Uncle Cal for saving that from the ditch!
Stain to beautify the coffee table: $7

Couches: Free- Thanks, Uncle Jeff!
Decorative pillows: Free- Thanks to my repurposing of pillows from college
Blanket: 14.99
Fabulous beige rug: $94

Mantle Decorations:
Curly willow: free- Thanks to my fabulous friend's family.
Mirror: Used to sit in my parents' bathroom before they remodeled it, we were able to have it cut down for $5
Glass votives: $13.99

For a grand total of $172.89 without the paint!

This new and improved room makes me want to break out in a cheesy smile, mostly because I love it so much :)