I wrote this a few days ago, but only got to posting today...so it's a little dated.
You know how some days you wake up and then everything just goes your way…even the little things, like the crosswalk turns to walk as soon as you step up to the curb? I had one of those days on Sunday. Well, ALMOST one of those days. Which was much needed after the previous week!
I woke up Sunday morning and jumped in the newly covered jeep (yep, she is all ready for winter and looking like a legitimate rugged vehicle with her hard top back in place). Drove down to 826 for a special volunteer only event. Donuts with Dave…Dave Eggers was in town, so 826 arranged an event for about 40 volunteers to sit and chat and enjoy Mighty O donuts. Dave Eggers and Mighty O- could the day start any better? I don’t think so.
It was a super casual chat…he asked questions about what we were up to at 826, things we like, things we’d like to see happen. He talked about some of the other chapters and even offered to give relationship advice to anyone in need. I loved the way he talked about public education…along with other volunteers in the group- many of who are or have been teachers. Someone asked if 826 ever gets involved with politics (the answer is no, it is a non profit and can’t do any lobbying), in an education way, because the Seattle school district is really awful, etc…and another volunteer responded about how easy it is to group everybody together, but that there are some really amazing teachers and things happening in the Seattle school district. It is easy to only focus on the bad, and that there will be plenty of that- it is a LARGE, urban school district, but it is not lacking in teachers that care and work toward making a difference. She got a little choked up while she was saying this stuff…which I thought was really cool…she certainly cares. Also, Dave recently produced a documentary that follows four teachers around throughout the stages of their careers…it’s called American Teacher, and it looks great. Wish I could remember everything we talked about...
Right after 826, I drove down to U Village to meet up with the Dinner Club gals for the annual Christmas shopping trip. I got there a little earlier than them, so stopped to get a peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks. So, I realize that I worked at Starbucks and that my drinks might be a little bit high maintenance (they really aren’t that difficult…I don’t ask for a particular temperature or amount of foam…I just think Starbucks drinks are too sweet, so I ask for fewer pumps of syrup…and nonfat milk…and no whip…etc), well…my drink is often made incorrectly. But this Starbucks made my peppermint hot chocolate JUST right. That right there, was enough to make my day great….BUT THEN, as I was leaving, I ran into my friend Olga, that I haven’t seen in waaaay too long. What a treat…a surprise run in with a few minutes to sit and chat. Big smile.
Then shopping with the gals…not super productive…I think we made it to 3 stores in two hours. I made one small purchase. But it was fun to hang out and browse and talk. I had to leave before everyone was done because I had to make a pie for Friendsgiving that night.
The pie-making ended up being the one not perfect part of the day…my TJ’s crust didn’t thaw in time, so we just had to stop at the store and pick one up. Wah wah wah. I don’t think friends at Friendsgiving cared that much though.
In other news…
- Jeep has her winter top….we are all ready and eagerly awaiting the next snow excitement. Took a little longer than usual, as the top gets morphed and re-shaped a little bit more every year. Haven’t come across any bonus spiders while driving yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
- Had Thanksgiving with my mom and Ron…my mom made turkey that was stuffed with brie and wrapped in prosciutto. Ummm, yum.
- Bought a full pie from A La Mode- the new pie place down the street- for my mom’s thanksgiving. It’s a little bit expensive, but oh my, so good. I wish I could make crust like that. We ordered another pie from there for Thanksgiving with Brian’s family tonight.
And finally, in very sad news…we finished the full series of Friday Night Lights. I have written about FNL plenty of times on here. I love this show. Brian decided he would watch with me, so I got to start all the way at the beginning again, which meant I didn’t watch the final season when it was on TV. I was trying to keep the final season going as long as possible…only watching one episode at a time. But last night, we finished. I’m not going to give anything away because, again, as mentioned many times in previous posts, you should watch it! But, I’m so sad it is over…and I hope they don’t make a movie.
That’s all for this blustery day (I got to wear my Eeyore rainboots today)..have a fantastic holiday weekend…I am so thankful for YOU!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Zayda Buddy's...?
Oh my gosh…there is snow in the forecast! I mean, maybe it says rain/snow mix, but at the beginning of the possible snow season, those giant slushy drops are almost just as exciting. Brian and I are heading to my parents’ house this weekend for an early Thanksgiving meal (my mom and Ron are going to Disney World for Thanksgiving…and then another week and half following…those jerks), Christmas decorating, and to put the hard top back on the jeep and get her all ready for the winter. She loves going into 4WD and cruising the snowy streets. She wasn’t running very well for a brief period there, but seems to be fine now…I didn’t do anything…just checked her oil and put some good quality gas in her…I think she just wanted a little attention and so was acting up. Silly jeep.
I took last Friday off from work…which was awesome and needed. My book club all had the day off for Veteran’s Day, and I have missed the last few book clubs, so I decided I wanted to be part of the Friday brunch! Oh brunch…yummm. There was quiche, there was that super cheesy and sour creamy potato casserole, there was a sausage egg casserole, there were muffins and fruit…I made a raspberry cream cheese coffee cake. And we sat and chatted for more than three hours…while it poured rain outside. It was just so nice. I recently got a tv (I haven't had one since I moved into my new place in May)…I can't watch tv, but I can watch movies. So I got home after book club, turned the heat up in my room, and had every intention of cleaning my room while I watched a movie. Guess what? No cleaning was done. I got REAL cozy in a blanket and fell asleep to My Blueberry Nights.
Friday night Brian and I went to the newly made into music venue- Neptune Theater for some local music. Hey Marseilles was releasing something…wasn’t entirely sure what, but they did play a ton of new stuff…so it was something new. I was super excited for Hey Marseilles…I love that band…they are so fun and charming and…whimsical isn’t the right word…but every time I listen to them, I remember strolling around Paris on the weekends. Bryan John Appleby opened…I also adore Bryan John Appleby- though he had a weird setlist that I didn’t so much adore. But oh well. AND the theater was pretty cool! Brian said it would be perfect for a high school Under The Sea dance…and that is very true.
AND, the news you have all been waiting for…how did the Shooting Fireballs/Chicago Sky/Team 9 (my little basketball team, duh) play on Saturday morning? Oh my gosh…they were AMAZING! I was shocked…in awe! They didn’t have any travels, they passed the ball to each other, they rebounded like animals…they ran up and down the court like there was no tomorrow. I mean…I was really proud of them. Mostly I was proud of their passing. During scrimmages at practice, nobody wanted to give the ball up, and when they did it was a weak little bounce pass, easily stolen….but they threw really smart passes. They found people open under the basket. Brian showed up with the snacks (which was still a hot topic, even on the bench while the game was going on…WHERE ARE THE SNACKS!)…we had juice boxes, satsumas, and mini Might O donuts. What a day!
I have been biiiig time craving some Zayda Buddy's recently. Zayda Buddy's is a Minnesota pizza bar down in Ballard. Brian and I went a lot last football season to watch games, and then tend to make it there…maybe once a month just for fun. It’s always a VERY special treat when we decide to go…it can turn a bad day around immediately…and is always the first place we think of when we are starving (though that isn’t always a great idea because sometimes it takes awhile for the pizza to come out) our pizza of choice is the Chelsea Chelsea…it’s pepperoni pizza with shelled macaroni and cheese on top (we tried putting mac and cheese on our pizza at home…sooo not the same)…anyway…we have had plans for the last two weeks to go, but for one reason or another haven’t made it…and I talk about it pretty much every day. I want to go! Yesterday I was going to a craft thing that was providing dinner and Brian was all bummed out that he had to figure out his own dinner. And then he told me he was going to go to Zayda Buddy's! Can you believe that. I told him it was the rudest thing he has ever said to me. Of course, he was kidding…but I really want to go tonight. Maybe? Just maybe…
Later
I took last Friday off from work…which was awesome and needed. My book club all had the day off for Veteran’s Day, and I have missed the last few book clubs, so I decided I wanted to be part of the Friday brunch! Oh brunch…yummm. There was quiche, there was that super cheesy and sour creamy potato casserole, there was a sausage egg casserole, there were muffins and fruit…I made a raspberry cream cheese coffee cake. And we sat and chatted for more than three hours…while it poured rain outside. It was just so nice. I recently got a tv (I haven't had one since I moved into my new place in May)…I can't watch tv, but I can watch movies. So I got home after book club, turned the heat up in my room, and had every intention of cleaning my room while I watched a movie. Guess what? No cleaning was done. I got REAL cozy in a blanket and fell asleep to My Blueberry Nights.
Friday night Brian and I went to the newly made into music venue- Neptune Theater for some local music. Hey Marseilles was releasing something…wasn’t entirely sure what, but they did play a ton of new stuff…so it was something new. I was super excited for Hey Marseilles…I love that band…they are so fun and charming and…whimsical isn’t the right word…but every time I listen to them, I remember strolling around Paris on the weekends. Bryan John Appleby opened…I also adore Bryan John Appleby- though he had a weird setlist that I didn’t so much adore. But oh well. AND the theater was pretty cool! Brian said it would be perfect for a high school Under The Sea dance…and that is very true.
AND, the news you have all been waiting for…how did the Shooting Fireballs/Chicago Sky/Team 9 (my little basketball team, duh) play on Saturday morning? Oh my gosh…they were AMAZING! I was shocked…in awe! They didn’t have any travels, they passed the ball to each other, they rebounded like animals…they ran up and down the court like there was no tomorrow. I mean…I was really proud of them. Mostly I was proud of their passing. During scrimmages at practice, nobody wanted to give the ball up, and when they did it was a weak little bounce pass, easily stolen….but they threw really smart passes. They found people open under the basket. Brian showed up with the snacks (which was still a hot topic, even on the bench while the game was going on…WHERE ARE THE SNACKS!)…we had juice boxes, satsumas, and mini Might O donuts. What a day!
I have been biiiig time craving some Zayda Buddy's recently. Zayda Buddy's is a Minnesota pizza bar down in Ballard. Brian and I went a lot last football season to watch games, and then tend to make it there…maybe once a month just for fun. It’s always a VERY special treat when we decide to go…it can turn a bad day around immediately…and is always the first place we think of when we are starving (though that isn’t always a great idea because sometimes it takes awhile for the pizza to come out) our pizza of choice is the Chelsea Chelsea…it’s pepperoni pizza with shelled macaroni and cheese on top (we tried putting mac and cheese on our pizza at home…sooo not the same)…anyway…we have had plans for the last two weeks to go, but for one reason or another haven’t made it…and I talk about it pretty much every day. I want to go! Yesterday I was going to a craft thing that was providing dinner and Brian was all bummed out that he had to figure out his own dinner. And then he told me he was going to go to Zayda Buddy's! Can you believe that. I told him it was the rudest thing he has ever said to me. Of course, he was kidding…but I really want to go tonight. Maybe? Just maybe…
Later
Monday, November 7, 2011
November already
I can’t believe we are a week into November. We had snow in November last year! Oh, I want it to snow. Every time I step outside in the evening, it smells like snow to me. I think it is probably just everything getting situated with the new temperatures. I’m trying hard to appreciate each sunny Fall day we have been getting (we really have had such a beautiful Fall), but I am so ready for some snow…lots of snow. Though maybe I should get the hard top on the jeep first…
I am finally feeling a little bit of relief from work…I had a huge project two weeks ago, that still has a few loose ends, but is mostly complete, and then a smaller but still significant project that finished up this last Friday. Sigh…glad to be back into a semi-normal routine again. I definitely feel more awake and aware now that those are done.
My basketball team had our last practice on Saturday before our first game next Saturday. Obviously, the game doesn’t matter and they will all go out and play and have fun…but oh dear, I am worried about the game. I think there is maybe one or two girls that have ever played in a game ever…and we have really only been able to scrimmage a couple of times, due to the lack of numbers at each practice. And even those were only half court scrimmages… On Saturday, we sat down and went over the rules…what’s a travel, what’s a double dribble, what is out of bounds, etc. I know they know the answers, but I think when they get into that game setting, it’s all going to go out the window…oh well. It will be a good learning experience for all of us, and, if nothing else, we will have some good snacks after the game!
Sounders season is done. Brian has made a paper chain to count down the days until the 2012 season begins, and I believe is currently watching a video of all the goals the Sounders scored over the year. The playoff game on Wednesday was a rough night for him. It actually was a great game…they played really well, they won 2-0…Kasey Keller’s last game was at home, a shut out, and a win….it just was a bummer that they played SO poorly in the first game of the aggregate. They lost 0-3 in the first game and so had to win by 4 on Wednesday to move on to the next round. But…next year will be here before we know it…and I get to share season tickets! This year I’ve gone to a few games- whenever someone Brian sits with isn’t able to go…but next year, I’m actually sharing a seat with someone.
I went to a super cool show on Saturday night. The Fremont Abbey has started a new event (I think it is monthly? I hope so…) The event is called Cathedrals, and they hold it at St Mark’s on Capitol Hill. They bring in some musicians…the lights are low, the sound is beautiful…everyone sits in silence, just listening. Sigh, it was just really beautiful. This time it was Kelli Schaefer…who I was really excited to see in this setting- I love her voice, Cataldo, and My Brightest Diamond. Kelli Schaefer has a song that is one of my favorite songs- just in general. Gone In Love…it’s so pretty. Anyway…she did that song, with her mom singing harmonies. She said it was the first time they had performed that together. One of the verses- “I will sing my mother hymns of old when she is passing/for every heartache I have caused/oh my mother, I am sorry...I want you to know there is nothing you have done that has been wasted…” singing this in a giant cathedral, with her mom singing behind her…wow. My eyes got a little watery…and then after, some girl came up to her friend behind me and was like “I just bawled through that whole thing”. Very cool…I’m excited to see what other musicians they bring in.
I am giddy for the holidays this year…some years I can be a little bah-humbuggy, and get annoyed with the early holidays in the stores. This year I’m soaking up the pumpkin spice lattes, the Mighty O apple spice donuts, enjoying the Christmas tree displays, pumped about decorating at my mom’s house…and, again…CANT WAIT FOR SNOW.
Have a great week…
I am finally feeling a little bit of relief from work…I had a huge project two weeks ago, that still has a few loose ends, but is mostly complete, and then a smaller but still significant project that finished up this last Friday. Sigh…glad to be back into a semi-normal routine again. I definitely feel more awake and aware now that those are done.
My basketball team had our last practice on Saturday before our first game next Saturday. Obviously, the game doesn’t matter and they will all go out and play and have fun…but oh dear, I am worried about the game. I think there is maybe one or two girls that have ever played in a game ever…and we have really only been able to scrimmage a couple of times, due to the lack of numbers at each practice. And even those were only half court scrimmages… On Saturday, we sat down and went over the rules…what’s a travel, what’s a double dribble, what is out of bounds, etc. I know they know the answers, but I think when they get into that game setting, it’s all going to go out the window…oh well. It will be a good learning experience for all of us, and, if nothing else, we will have some good snacks after the game!
Sounders season is done. Brian has made a paper chain to count down the days until the 2012 season begins, and I believe is currently watching a video of all the goals the Sounders scored over the year. The playoff game on Wednesday was a rough night for him. It actually was a great game…they played really well, they won 2-0…Kasey Keller’s last game was at home, a shut out, and a win….it just was a bummer that they played SO poorly in the first game of the aggregate. They lost 0-3 in the first game and so had to win by 4 on Wednesday to move on to the next round. But…next year will be here before we know it…and I get to share season tickets! This year I’ve gone to a few games- whenever someone Brian sits with isn’t able to go…but next year, I’m actually sharing a seat with someone.
I went to a super cool show on Saturday night. The Fremont Abbey has started a new event (I think it is monthly? I hope so…) The event is called Cathedrals, and they hold it at St Mark’s on Capitol Hill. They bring in some musicians…the lights are low, the sound is beautiful…everyone sits in silence, just listening. Sigh, it was just really beautiful. This time it was Kelli Schaefer…who I was really excited to see in this setting- I love her voice, Cataldo, and My Brightest Diamond. Kelli Schaefer has a song that is one of my favorite songs- just in general. Gone In Love…it’s so pretty. Anyway…she did that song, with her mom singing harmonies. She said it was the first time they had performed that together. One of the verses- “I will sing my mother hymns of old when she is passing/for every heartache I have caused/oh my mother, I am sorry...I want you to know there is nothing you have done that has been wasted…” singing this in a giant cathedral, with her mom singing behind her…wow. My eyes got a little watery…and then after, some girl came up to her friend behind me and was like “I just bawled through that whole thing”. Very cool…I’m excited to see what other musicians they bring in.
I am giddy for the holidays this year…some years I can be a little bah-humbuggy, and get annoyed with the early holidays in the stores. This year I’m soaking up the pumpkin spice lattes, the Mighty O apple spice donuts, enjoying the Christmas tree displays, pumped about decorating at my mom’s house…and, again…CANT WAIT FOR SNOW.
Have a great week…
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Happy Halloween
Sorry for the late blog post. It was a busy, busy end of the week last week, and weekend! Plus, Rachel said she was hoping for some Tuesday blogging (Happy Reformation Day), along with an increase by 5% of my Disney stuffed animal collection. I’ll just start with the Tuesday blog.
First of all…I’m a little bit disappointed in the cute kid Halloween pictures posted on facebook- not that the kids weren’t cute (they are…VERY cute), but there just weren’t enough of the pics…c’mon parents, get those pictures posted.
And on the subject of Halloween. Gals…PUT SOME FLIPPIN CLOTHES ON. Jeez louise. I know that Halloween is the one night a year where it is somehow acceptable to wear next to nothing. But that doesn’t mean you have to or should. Good grief.
I never wrote about our rock star Friday a couple weeks ago. We got to see both The Black Keys AND Ryan Adams- in one night- for free. The new Microsoft store in U Village brought The Black Keys in for their grand opening. Brian took a day off work the day before to stand in line and get the tickets they were giving out. We got to the event on Friday evening there were appetizers being passed around on trays, free Jamba Juice, full slices of deep dish pizza, red carpet, etc. The Black Keys played for about an hour…it was a pretty small group of people in the event space. Very cool. Then, we ZIPPED over to Benaroya Hall for Ryan Adams. Catie gave us the VIP wristbands…which gave us 6th row seats. Wowzer. This was such an unbelievable way to experience Ryan Adams. 6th row at Benaroya Hall! He was funny, he played solo so everything was slow and pretty. It was definitely one of those once in a lifetime shows. Sigh just thinking about it. Thank you Catie!!
I’m a little bit sad that today is November 1, and I’m not even going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. November is national novel writing month, and NaNoWriMo has a site for you to keep track of the number of words you’ve written, with 50,000 being the goal, over the course of the month. I have attempted the last few years. I haven’t ever made it…I think I am just too stinking busy, but it definitely gets me motivated to write. I’ve been receiving the NaNoWriMo prep emails and I just wish I was motivated this year to try.
This week is picture day for my basketball team. We decided on the name Shooting Fireballs, but then were told we had to have WNBA team name. Lame. So officially, we are the Chicago Sky, unofficially- SHOOTING FIREBALLS. We have had two weeks of practices and I have never had more than 5 girls show up to one practice (between soccer games, weekend trips, etc)…which makes it very difficult to do any scrimmaging. I’m a little (a lot) worried that my girls won’t know what to do in a game situation (I think this is everyone’s first year playing)…one more week before games start. Hopefully everyone will show up for pictures…
Brian and I missed Potluck last week. We missed for a few reason…first, I was just dead…work was exhausting me. I think last week was a combination of work stress, work being busy, and just the seasonal change-it definitely became seriously Autumn over the last two weeks…but I was very much lacking in energy and the motivation to DO anything. Plus, it was Game 6 of the World Series, which was an INCREDIBLE game. The whole World Series this year was pretty great. But Game 6 in particular…there was just no possibility of leaving the house while the game was in the state it was. But, we kept thinking we would make it to Potluck, so we made our dessert item in preparation of going. It was a Dia de los Muertos themed party….we made churros! I’ve never made churros before…they turned out pretty delicious. I’ve never really admitted to liking churros. They were one of those Disneyland snack treats that my family never bought, but I always secretly wanted. We would get the ice cream bars and the popcorn, but we never went for the churro.
That’s all I have for this Tuesday…
First of all…I’m a little bit disappointed in the cute kid Halloween pictures posted on facebook- not that the kids weren’t cute (they are…VERY cute), but there just weren’t enough of the pics…c’mon parents, get those pictures posted.
And on the subject of Halloween. Gals…PUT SOME FLIPPIN CLOTHES ON. Jeez louise. I know that Halloween is the one night a year where it is somehow acceptable to wear next to nothing. But that doesn’t mean you have to or should. Good grief.
I never wrote about our rock star Friday a couple weeks ago. We got to see both The Black Keys AND Ryan Adams- in one night- for free. The new Microsoft store in U Village brought The Black Keys in for their grand opening. Brian took a day off work the day before to stand in line and get the tickets they were giving out. We got to the event on Friday evening there were appetizers being passed around on trays, free Jamba Juice, full slices of deep dish pizza, red carpet, etc. The Black Keys played for about an hour…it was a pretty small group of people in the event space. Very cool. Then, we ZIPPED over to Benaroya Hall for Ryan Adams. Catie gave us the VIP wristbands…which gave us 6th row seats. Wowzer. This was such an unbelievable way to experience Ryan Adams. 6th row at Benaroya Hall! He was funny, he played solo so everything was slow and pretty. It was definitely one of those once in a lifetime shows. Sigh just thinking about it. Thank you Catie!!
I’m a little bit sad that today is November 1, and I’m not even going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. November is national novel writing month, and NaNoWriMo has a site for you to keep track of the number of words you’ve written, with 50,000 being the goal, over the course of the month. I have attempted the last few years. I haven’t ever made it…I think I am just too stinking busy, but it definitely gets me motivated to write. I’ve been receiving the NaNoWriMo prep emails and I just wish I was motivated this year to try.
This week is picture day for my basketball team. We decided on the name Shooting Fireballs, but then were told we had to have WNBA team name. Lame. So officially, we are the Chicago Sky, unofficially- SHOOTING FIREBALLS. We have had two weeks of practices and I have never had more than 5 girls show up to one practice (between soccer games, weekend trips, etc)…which makes it very difficult to do any scrimmaging. I’m a little (a lot) worried that my girls won’t know what to do in a game situation (I think this is everyone’s first year playing)…one more week before games start. Hopefully everyone will show up for pictures…
Brian and I missed Potluck last week. We missed for a few reason…first, I was just dead…work was exhausting me. I think last week was a combination of work stress, work being busy, and just the seasonal change-it definitely became seriously Autumn over the last two weeks…but I was very much lacking in energy and the motivation to DO anything. Plus, it was Game 6 of the World Series, which was an INCREDIBLE game. The whole World Series this year was pretty great. But Game 6 in particular…there was just no possibility of leaving the house while the game was in the state it was. But, we kept thinking we would make it to Potluck, so we made our dessert item in preparation of going. It was a Dia de los Muertos themed party….we made churros! I’ve never made churros before…they turned out pretty delicious. I’ve never really admitted to liking churros. They were one of those Disneyland snack treats that my family never bought, but I always secretly wanted. We would get the ice cream bars and the popcorn, but we never went for the churro.
That’s all I have for this Tuesday…
Friday, October 21, 2011
SIGH....
Sigh*…my brain is beyond fried this week. There has been so much going on (mostly work related that is boring and I won’t get into), my brain feels like it has been moving nonstop…I can tell because I’ve been having lots of dreams and waking up throughout the nights. Take a rest, brain! It’s the weekend. Ohhh, it’s a busy, busy weekend…sigh*, maybe another time.
*Quick side note- I realize that much of the busy-ness is my doing and I love it. At moments it feels overwhelming, but I wouldn’t want it any other way- Occasionally I just need to sigh a little bit.
First, let me tell you how last week ended because I think it is worth noting and appreciating. Remember how I was commenting on how I don’t know that I would make caramel apples again because of the mess still a-waiting me in my kitchen- all over my kitchen? Well, right after work on Friday I had to go to a training at 826…it was an hour and a half long. Brian picked me up after and we stopped at Mr. Gyro’s for dinner and then went to the new ice cream place on Greenwood (which I actually didn’t totally love…boo)…then we went to my house. AND…Brian had cleaned the whole kitchen while I was at my training! Whaaat! Oh my gosh…what a SUPER fantastic and awesome surprise! Then…I walked further in the living room and there were my favorite flowers in a vase on the table! Yes! I actually felt a little sorry for the flowers because normally I would be so incredibly excited about them…I LOVE flowers…but I was just so thrilled about the clean kitchen, the flowers didn’t get the attention they deserved. Thanks Brian- you’re swell!
This week…
Another 826 field trip…a third grade class this week. It was crazy to me how different this class was from the second grade class last week. Since this is only the second field trip, it might have just been the particular classes versus the age…not sure. But the third grade class was like PULLING TEETH to get anything creative out of them. Every idea they came up with was just like ordinary life…the main character was a Bunny, he lived on a farm with other animals, liked to bounce and was looking for carrots. The volunteers worked hard to spice it up with the carrots being magical carrots that granted wishes, and the bunny can jump over tall buildings and long distances, etc…the kids seemed much more focused on what the other kids in their class were doing…many of the illustrations they did for their story was exactly the same as their neighbor. Do kids start losing that imagination and start worrying about what people think in between second and third grade? I asked my mom about it and she said she guessed it was just the particular class. I guess we will see next time.
On Tuesday night we went to a Theology Pub…one of our friends was giving a talk on Dante’s Divine Comedy. I thought it was super interesting. In the past few years I have been making an effort to read the ‘classics’, knowing that they are classics for a reason. Dante has been in the back of my mind for a while (ever since I encountered ‘Dante’s biggest fan’ in Florence who spends all his days reciting the Divine Comedy to whoever stops to listen), always seeming a little bit too intimidating. But hey, I read The Brothers K, which was SUPER intimidating, and actually liked it…so I think I can give this a try. Especially after the talk, and kind of having an idea of what to expect. I also really enjoy theological discussion in general, though sometimes think it can get a little bit pretentious… Gabriel handled all of the questions that came at him really, really well and never made it feel that way.
I am still on a bit of an ice cream making kick. Well, gelato…I still can’t bring myself to use full on heavy cream. This week we had another batch of the pumpkin- always a Fall favorite, nutella (chocolate-hazelnut) which tasted an awful lot like a frosty, and ‘harvest peach’…which was a bit of an experiment without a recipe. We wanted to do a fruit flavor and Brian suggested peaches…we got a can of peaches, I added a little bit of the juice from the can to the base mix, and then cut the peaches up into small pieces. Added some of the pumpkin pie spices, and called it Harvest Peach. It ended up being my favorite.
I had my first basketball practice with my 2nd/3rd grade girls team last night. Oh my. First of all, chaos. CHAOS. Everybody practices at the Boys and Girls Club (when I played, we practiced at different elementary schools), which means there are up to four teams practicing in one gym at the same time…so we only get a quarter of the court. And it is so loud. Basketballs flying everywhere. And…two of my girls got in a fight with each other. WHAT?! Oh my gosh, I was shocked. But overall, I think it went pretty well. We huddled up at the end and talked about what their favorite drills were, and they seemed to like just about everything. We all gave lots of high fives. And I gave them a homework assignment- to try and use their left hand at home as much as possible…eat with your left hand, brush your teeth with your left hand, etc…we want our left hand to be just as strong as our right hand. One girl refused. Oh well.
That’s this week’s report…have a super fantastic weekend!
*Quick side note- I realize that much of the busy-ness is my doing and I love it. At moments it feels overwhelming, but I wouldn’t want it any other way- Occasionally I just need to sigh a little bit.
First, let me tell you how last week ended because I think it is worth noting and appreciating. Remember how I was commenting on how I don’t know that I would make caramel apples again because of the mess still a-waiting me in my kitchen- all over my kitchen? Well, right after work on Friday I had to go to a training at 826…it was an hour and a half long. Brian picked me up after and we stopped at Mr. Gyro’s for dinner and then went to the new ice cream place on Greenwood (which I actually didn’t totally love…boo)…then we went to my house. AND…Brian had cleaned the whole kitchen while I was at my training! Whaaat! Oh my gosh…what a SUPER fantastic and awesome surprise! Then…I walked further in the living room and there were my favorite flowers in a vase on the table! Yes! I actually felt a little sorry for the flowers because normally I would be so incredibly excited about them…I LOVE flowers…but I was just so thrilled about the clean kitchen, the flowers didn’t get the attention they deserved. Thanks Brian- you’re swell!
This week…
Another 826 field trip…a third grade class this week. It was crazy to me how different this class was from the second grade class last week. Since this is only the second field trip, it might have just been the particular classes versus the age…not sure. But the third grade class was like PULLING TEETH to get anything creative out of them. Every idea they came up with was just like ordinary life…the main character was a Bunny, he lived on a farm with other animals, liked to bounce and was looking for carrots. The volunteers worked hard to spice it up with the carrots being magical carrots that granted wishes, and the bunny can jump over tall buildings and long distances, etc…the kids seemed much more focused on what the other kids in their class were doing…many of the illustrations they did for their story was exactly the same as their neighbor. Do kids start losing that imagination and start worrying about what people think in between second and third grade? I asked my mom about it and she said she guessed it was just the particular class. I guess we will see next time.
On Tuesday night we went to a Theology Pub…one of our friends was giving a talk on Dante’s Divine Comedy. I thought it was super interesting. In the past few years I have been making an effort to read the ‘classics’, knowing that they are classics for a reason. Dante has been in the back of my mind for a while (ever since I encountered ‘Dante’s biggest fan’ in Florence who spends all his days reciting the Divine Comedy to whoever stops to listen), always seeming a little bit too intimidating. But hey, I read The Brothers K, which was SUPER intimidating, and actually liked it…so I think I can give this a try. Especially after the talk, and kind of having an idea of what to expect. I also really enjoy theological discussion in general, though sometimes think it can get a little bit pretentious… Gabriel handled all of the questions that came at him really, really well and never made it feel that way.
I am still on a bit of an ice cream making kick. Well, gelato…I still can’t bring myself to use full on heavy cream. This week we had another batch of the pumpkin- always a Fall favorite, nutella (chocolate-hazelnut) which tasted an awful lot like a frosty, and ‘harvest peach’…which was a bit of an experiment without a recipe. We wanted to do a fruit flavor and Brian suggested peaches…we got a can of peaches, I added a little bit of the juice from the can to the base mix, and then cut the peaches up into small pieces. Added some of the pumpkin pie spices, and called it Harvest Peach. It ended up being my favorite.
I had my first basketball practice with my 2nd/3rd grade girls team last night. Oh my. First of all, chaos. CHAOS. Everybody practices at the Boys and Girls Club (when I played, we practiced at different elementary schools), which means there are up to four teams practicing in one gym at the same time…so we only get a quarter of the court. And it is so loud. Basketballs flying everywhere. And…two of my girls got in a fight with each other. WHAT?! Oh my gosh, I was shocked. But overall, I think it went pretty well. We huddled up at the end and talked about what their favorite drills were, and they seemed to like just about everything. We all gave lots of high fives. And I gave them a homework assignment- to try and use their left hand at home as much as possible…eat with your left hand, brush your teeth with your left hand, etc…we want our left hand to be just as strong as our right hand. One girl refused. Oh well.
That’s this week’s report…have a super fantastic weekend!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Need a nap....
An update- had our first field trip at 826 with a second grade class. Was hilarious. Reminded me of Turtle Talk with Crush at Disney. Kids say such funny things. Our story ended up being about a super hero dog- Super Dog, and his friends at school (Julie the cheetah, Stinker the skunk) Stinker was bullying Julie and took her lunch money…she was sad and ran away. Everyone went on a search to find her. Stinker climbed up to the roof and discovered she had run away to the Fremont Troll…which was bad news, because it happened to be the one day of the year that the troll comes to life. And that was the cliffhanger we left the kids with to finish. My favorite ending was the kid that decided the troll was only interested in finding a Subaru to crush, not hurting any of the animal kids. A Subaru in particular.
We made caramel apples for the northwest-themed potluck this week. They turned out tasty enough, but I don’t know that it would be a choice I would make again…my kitchen is currently a disaster from the preparation. Sticky caramel on many a-dish, on the countertops, pans. Then the food processor needs to be cleaned from the candy we crushed to add to the outsides. Dishes containing the various toppings (nuts, skor bar, and m&ms) spilling out on the counter and floor from rolling the apples over them…ahhh, big mess everywhere. But a fun treat and something new.
This week Brian and I did the Whole Foods Tuesday special…buy two of their take and bake pizzas for the price of one…so we get two big pizzas for $12. Which ends up being at least three meals for each of us (usually dinner, lunch, lunch). A few months ago, we were doing it often…great deal, good pizza, convenient, etc….but then we got tired of the pizza. So we hadn’t done it for a couple of months and just decided to go for it again this week. Ugh…just had my final slice for lunch today and it was all I could do to get it down. Probably not going to be doing that again for a while. I’m still feeling upset about my lunch today.
But on a positive note, tonight we will be (hopefully) stopping in at the new ice cream place that opened today in Greenwood. I could really go for some tasty ice cream, especially ice cream of a seasonal flavor. http://bluebirdseattle.blogspot.com
Also on the weekend agenda…training at 826 tonight for working on college essays with high school kids, a fall festival tomorrow complete with a corn maze, u-pick apples, hay ride, and of course apple cider. Sounders game Sat night (still tickets available…go to the game!) and a crockpot party on Sunday (with some new homemade ice cream flavor attempts)…should be good.
Though at the moment, I’d just like a nap. Yawn.
We made caramel apples for the northwest-themed potluck this week. They turned out tasty enough, but I don’t know that it would be a choice I would make again…my kitchen is currently a disaster from the preparation. Sticky caramel on many a-dish, on the countertops, pans. Then the food processor needs to be cleaned from the candy we crushed to add to the outsides. Dishes containing the various toppings (nuts, skor bar, and m&ms) spilling out on the counter and floor from rolling the apples over them…ahhh, big mess everywhere. But a fun treat and something new.
This week Brian and I did the Whole Foods Tuesday special…buy two of their take and bake pizzas for the price of one…so we get two big pizzas for $12. Which ends up being at least three meals for each of us (usually dinner, lunch, lunch). A few months ago, we were doing it often…great deal, good pizza, convenient, etc….but then we got tired of the pizza. So we hadn’t done it for a couple of months and just decided to go for it again this week. Ugh…just had my final slice for lunch today and it was all I could do to get it down. Probably not going to be doing that again for a while. I’m still feeling upset about my lunch today.
But on a positive note, tonight we will be (hopefully) stopping in at the new ice cream place that opened today in Greenwood. I could really go for some tasty ice cream, especially ice cream of a seasonal flavor. http://bluebirdseattle.blogspot.com
Also on the weekend agenda…training at 826 tonight for working on college essays with high school kids, a fall festival tomorrow complete with a corn maze, u-pick apples, hay ride, and of course apple cider. Sounders game Sat night (still tickets available…go to the game!) and a crockpot party on Sunday (with some new homemade ice cream flavor attempts)…should be good.
Though at the moment, I’d just like a nap. Yawn.
Friday, October 7, 2011
dancing, writing, basketball- oh my!
It has been a busy week…I’ve been fighting a bit of a stomach bug since Monday (missed Brian’s championship kickball game), but am finally feeling about 97%. Here’s the Friday Five…
- So I am a little bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t know about DonorsChoose before this week. Starbucks was giving away coupons from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for $10 to donate to the teacher project of your choice. Very cool on the part of the Gates, Starbucks, and all of those teachers that take the time to compose projects to enrich their student’s education. I’m embarrassed because it’s super cool and I wish I had been donating already, but even more so because my mom has two projects up! Jeez louise Mom! Anyway…if you received a coupon from Starbucks and don’t know who to put the certificate toward, or you just feel like it is important and want to donate your own money, here is my mom’s page: http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/1068221 I also noticed, via facebook posts that some friends from high school that are now teachers have pages…I think this will be my monthly donation spot for a while.
- Last weekend Brian and I went to a dance party…it’s an annual event that his friends have…theme, costumes, pictures, music, dancing…you know, dance party. I was feeling a little nervous about it. I had been hearing about past dance parties, and it was something Brian was REALLY looking forward to (and I’m just not a big dancer)…this year’s theme was Hipster…which only made me more nervous…what does that mean? And I am a big fan of themes…so I didn’t want to half ass the costume. Brian decided on his costume almost immediately upon hearing the theme. I was still trying to decide the morning of. Luckily, Brian came up with a great idea, I made a quick run to JoAnn Fabrics and Fred Meyers…and voila, a hipster costume was made. Here we are.
Brian is Sufjan Stevens. I am Bon Iver (you know, a ‘Good Winter’). Party ended up being lots of fun…there was other stuff to do besides dance (chat, eat, photo booth, follow the soccer game), but I even found myself doing that some. AND, Brian and I won best costumes. Yes!
- I got a little reprieve from my stomachache on Tuesday evening during the Open Cup championship game. Maybe from adrenaline? I don’t know…because I was jumping up and down, stressed, nervous, excited…all things I would think might upset the stomach. Anyway…AWESOME game on Tuesday. Sounders won 2-0…though it probably should have been like 7-0 (maybe 7-1…Keller had a great bobble save near the end)- we took so many great shots and nothing was going in. So glad we finally got a couple of goals in the second half, because we completely dominated the game and it would have been pretty disappointing otherwise. Final regular season game is on October 15th…looks like they are going to sell out the entire CenturyLink field for the first time (usually the upper bowl is closed)…if you haven’t been to a game or not sure what you think about soccer…go buy a ticket for the last game and check it out!
- Had our ‘dress rehearsal’ at 826 for our upcoming Geoduck field trip that starts next Tuesday! There is a new Programs Coordinator, so he wanted to have some of the veterans of the field trip come in and give the newbies kind of a run through so we know what to expect on Tuesday. It sounds like it will be pretty fast-paced, chaotic, and a bit crazy…lots of different moving pieces…and then throw in 25 2nd graders…yikes! I’m excited for next week to see how it all plays out. I signed up to be trained as the typist…AKA, the one that actually writes the story from all of the kids’ ideas. Will definitely let you know how the real thing goes….eek!
- Finally, I signed up for some more volunteering (I’m anticipating a grey and dreary next several months…might as well spend it doing fun things with other people, right!)…this is something I have been wanting to do for several years, but always seem to remember about a month too late. I’m going to be coaching a basketball team at the Boys and Girls Club! I’ll be coaching a group of 2nd/3rd grade girls. We had a coaches meeting last night- were assigned our teams, and given any tools and resources we might need. Right now my team only has 6 gals on it…will definitely need to do some recruiting! Also, I’d love to have an assistant coach…anyone interested in helping? Our practices and games are Thursday early evenings and Saturday mornings. Something I totally forgot about when I signed up to coach…PICTURE DAY…oh, I can’t wait!
That’s it for this week….
- So I am a little bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t know about DonorsChoose before this week. Starbucks was giving away coupons from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for $10 to donate to the teacher project of your choice. Very cool on the part of the Gates, Starbucks, and all of those teachers that take the time to compose projects to enrich their student’s education. I’m embarrassed because it’s super cool and I wish I had been donating already, but even more so because my mom has two projects up! Jeez louise Mom! Anyway…if you received a coupon from Starbucks and don’t know who to put the certificate toward, or you just feel like it is important and want to donate your own money, here is my mom’s page: http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/1068221 I also noticed, via facebook posts that some friends from high school that are now teachers have pages…I think this will be my monthly donation spot for a while.
- Last weekend Brian and I went to a dance party…it’s an annual event that his friends have…theme, costumes, pictures, music, dancing…you know, dance party. I was feeling a little nervous about it. I had been hearing about past dance parties, and it was something Brian was REALLY looking forward to (and I’m just not a big dancer)…this year’s theme was Hipster…which only made me more nervous…what does that mean? And I am a big fan of themes…so I didn’t want to half ass the costume. Brian decided on his costume almost immediately upon hearing the theme. I was still trying to decide the morning of. Luckily, Brian came up with a great idea, I made a quick run to JoAnn Fabrics and Fred Meyers…and voila, a hipster costume was made. Here we are.
Brian is Sufjan Stevens. I am Bon Iver (you know, a ‘Good Winter’). Party ended up being lots of fun…there was other stuff to do besides dance (chat, eat, photo booth, follow the soccer game), but I even found myself doing that some. AND, Brian and I won best costumes. Yes!- I got a little reprieve from my stomachache on Tuesday evening during the Open Cup championship game. Maybe from adrenaline? I don’t know…because I was jumping up and down, stressed, nervous, excited…all things I would think might upset the stomach. Anyway…AWESOME game on Tuesday. Sounders won 2-0…though it probably should have been like 7-0 (maybe 7-1…Keller had a great bobble save near the end)- we took so many great shots and nothing was going in. So glad we finally got a couple of goals in the second half, because we completely dominated the game and it would have been pretty disappointing otherwise. Final regular season game is on October 15th…looks like they are going to sell out the entire CenturyLink field for the first time (usually the upper bowl is closed)…if you haven’t been to a game or not sure what you think about soccer…go buy a ticket for the last game and check it out!
- Had our ‘dress rehearsal’ at 826 for our upcoming Geoduck field trip that starts next Tuesday! There is a new Programs Coordinator, so he wanted to have some of the veterans of the field trip come in and give the newbies kind of a run through so we know what to expect on Tuesday. It sounds like it will be pretty fast-paced, chaotic, and a bit crazy…lots of different moving pieces…and then throw in 25 2nd graders…yikes! I’m excited for next week to see how it all plays out. I signed up to be trained as the typist…AKA, the one that actually writes the story from all of the kids’ ideas. Will definitely let you know how the real thing goes….eek!
- Finally, I signed up for some more volunteering (I’m anticipating a grey and dreary next several months…might as well spend it doing fun things with other people, right!)…this is something I have been wanting to do for several years, but always seem to remember about a month too late. I’m going to be coaching a basketball team at the Boys and Girls Club! I’ll be coaching a group of 2nd/3rd grade girls. We had a coaches meeting last night- were assigned our teams, and given any tools and resources we might need. Right now my team only has 6 gals on it…will definitely need to do some recruiting! Also, I’d love to have an assistant coach…anyone interested in helping? Our practices and games are Thursday early evenings and Saturday mornings. Something I totally forgot about when I signed up to coach…PICTURE DAY…oh, I can’t wait!
That’s it for this week….
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)