I Miss Back Then

In my journaling class and in my classroom, I have been writing about some childhood memories.  I will publish these from time to time, if you can take my nerdiness!

A favorite childhood memory is dancing on our neighbors porch. It was huge, like a stage.  We would make our own music videos with our best friends Jason and Brian. Our favorites were Paula Abdul, NKOTB, and MC Hammer.  We lived on a busy street so plenty of cars saw us, but we didn't care.  I wish we had video taped them because I would LOVE to see them now.

Another favorite memory is when Jess and I would pretend to be identical twins.  We would wear the same clothes and try to talk at the same time.  We didn't look alike at all, but we did manage to fool one someone once.  I don't think she was very smart.  Our favorite twin outfit was our tye-dyed jumpsuits.  We wore them with white T-shirts and Skippies.  We loved our Skippies as they were a gift for good report cards.  We also tried to wear our hair the same way to fool people.  It was silly, but so much fun!

Summer Loves

OPI's "Come to Poppy"

Espadrilles

Peonies

Mojitos

Camp fires

Book Update

I added a new book to my Read It List, and I am sad to see that I am averaging 1 book per month. I have to step it up.  While I haven't set a specific reading goal, I love to read and want to do more of it.  I am in a book club, but I don't always read the book of the month.  I am thinking a trip to the library is in order. While I am reading almost exclusively on my Kindle (and prefer it to books), it is getting pricy. For example, I want desperately to finish The Hunger Games series, but Book 2 is $7.99.  I know I won't re-read it, so I am going to see if my school library has a copy.

The good news is that the Nest's Summer Book Club Challenge should be published this month, and that always spikes my reading. I will post the challenge on here once it is out.  Happy Reading!

Since I love beauty

Etsy.com always inspires me. In fact, I check in every morning just to see what they color scheme of the day is.  While I cannot create art and am not a design wizard, I truly enjoy seeing something that is well done.  To put it plainly, I like pretty things.  Here are some pretty things I have found delight in this morning.

(Source: http://tinyurl.com/6ewzv45)

I have always loved the sea. It has always been and still is my dream to live in a small cottage by the water. I cannot explain why I am drawn to the sea, but it is almost magnetic for me.

(Source: http://tinyurl.com/682n5w2)

These would be my go to summer earrings.  Their neutral color with a cute flair suits me perfectly.  They would look great with just about anything! And for $18, they are a steal.

(Source: http://tinyurl.com/4374zgq)

This bag would be adorable for toting my summer reading!  The bike adds old time charm, and I am in love. 

(Source: http://tinyurl.com/6xchr6a)

This picture is magical. I could picture myself staring up at this amazing ferris wheel, but not getting on it! I've never been to Coney Island, but this is how I picture it in my mind. 

(Source: http://tinyurl.com/5smfn5c)

What says summer more than dragonflies? I wonder how many hours this artist put into these? Simply breath-taking.

Libra Qualities

I must say that these are all true!

Traits of a Libra….

• Desires popularity
• Loves art
• Neat
• Dresses up for the occasion
• Slight perfectionist
• Narcissism
• Charitable
• Bossy at times
• Plans ahead
• Attention to detail
• Loves public service

Likes…

• Beauty
• Gifts
• Debates
• Attention
• Intellectual conversations
• Admiration
• Credit cards
• Mingling
• Subtle colours, textures

Dislikes…

• Noise
• Confusion
• Sloppiness
• Ugliness
• Dirt
• Pressured decisions
• Being rushed
• Criticism

Long Overdue Date

Last night, we finally celebrated Christmas gift 2009 with my sisters and brother-in-law. We decided (in 2009) to trade meals rather than traditional gifts, and it is a really terrific idea. The tough part is finding a time that works for all of us. We had them for dinner at the Old Bryan Inn in November of 2010, so we were quite late too. Anyhow, we went to Apertivio,  which is a local favorite in Schenectady. We had never been there, but we really enjoyed it. We followed dinner with gelato at Villa Italia, which also happens to be the bakery who made our fabulous wedding cake.  It was a great night with many laughs.

Catch!

I am a bit behind with posting!  I joined a monthly journaling group and we had our meeting on May 16.  I will publish some of what I have written there. We began with a free write:

I feel very out of breath in life right now.  It seems like every time I cross one item off my To Do list, three more appear.  I live in one of two states: frenzy or exhaustion.  I love my work but it is tiresome.  It is funny how life eggs you on just as you are about to call it a day.  I love getting thrown a bone every once in a while.  My work is beyond rewarding, but it is also one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.  I feel like I see the kids in the caterpillar stage continually, but rarely see them turn into butterflies. Middle school is such a time of growth and change, a state of "not quite there yet."  Every now and then, I see a flutter and it pushes me forward.  I often wonder if I make a difference. I hope I do, but I may never know. I often reflect on the Starfish Story when I think of teaching:

The Starfish Story

Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. 

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son, " the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said,
"I made a difference for that one."