Thank you, 2012

There are so many things I want to improve in 2013—sleep more, exercise more, eat lunch, find love, blah, blah, blah.  2012 had some moments I’d like to forget, but there were also some really good ones!  Being the eternal optimist, of COURSE I will be focusing on the good… and maybe saving the resolutions for another day.  It is still 2012, after all.

Best Moments of 2012:

Finishing my first year teaching- To have made it through the year feels like an accomplishment in itself.  To have met an incredible group of kids and families, and made some of my best friends along the way, feels like a bonus!

Making my apartment cozier- by decorating it and making it feel like I live there!  Every time I have people over it feels like home, so I must do this more often in the new year!

Yet another Ohio visit- keeping this tradition alive, year after year, spending time with my amazing Ohio relatives.  They rock.

 

Discovering the beauty of Teachers College- where I can “nerd out” every time the opportunity arises to be sent by my district!

Traveling to Puerto Rico with my friend Amy, whom I have been close friends with for over ten years!  We experienced some unforgettable people and places-- can't wait to go back!

Visiting my baby sister at college, staying in her townhouse, and pretending I was 21 again!

 Experiencing Superstorm Sandy- staying with a close friend, eating, drinking, and playing Farkel… and lighting candles, lots of candles.  Also, hosting another friend and her daughter for a couple of nights, and remembering how fun it is to live with other people!

Celebrating Thanksgiving at home- with my three favorite people in the world!  Just us.  And food.  Lots of food.

Getting clear on what I want- opening my heart, putting myself “out there,” but eventually being reminded that God is the one in control.  And that we get what we need when we need it!

 source: indulgy.com

2012 was good to me.  I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store!

Merry Christmas

 This is my absolute favorite part of the year.  I’m not sure if it’s the traditionalist in me (carols playing constantly, sugar cookies, and sparkly decorations, year after year), the religious nut in me (happy birthday, Jesus!—not afraid to say it), the family lover (whether we stay in or out it is BEYOND too much together time, and just how I like it), or the optimist in me (to quote Buddy the Elf, “Smiling’s My Favorite!”).

In spite of my love affair with the Christmas season, this is a time also filled with pain, nostalgia, and even suffering for many people.  We mourned the loss of precious babies not many days before, there are still many struggling with the effects of Hurricane Sandy, and my own sweet great aunt Sally went home to be with God the day before Christmas Eve.  I held all of these things in my heart on Christmas Eve, and the service was a little more somber for me than I remember it.

My minister is brilliant and that night he said something to the effect of, “In order for God to save the world, there has to be a world worth saving.”  Christmas is a time for decking the halls, eating too much, and cheering when the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes (at least, that's how we do in first grade!).  But it’s also a time to remember that God sent us His son to be in the world with us, to be next to us as we experience pain, and to give us hope for a future that’s beautiful.

               

 So this Christmas was filled with memories, as well as joy.  I celebrated that I have family and friends in my life who care about me, and who serve as examples of people who truly love life.  I celebrated a God that loves us more than we can comprehend.  And I made sure to drink in each moment, remembering that life is short, but still good.

Rockin a mini-dress and sparkly heels on Christmas Eve!

Jammies pic... waiting for Santa!

I <3 these people

Merry Christmas.

Seeing the Good

Disclaimer:  If you are not in the mood for a teacher-y post, stop here!

This week has been kicking my butt.  Like really kicking my butt.  And it is only Tuesday!

If you are not a teacher, you may not quite understand this, being that we just came back from a short break, and that we only TECHNICALLY work from 8:00- 3:00.  (Read technically and understand that, if you are any kind of good, this could not be further from the truth.)

However, if you are a teacher, you know that the demands are great to push your students, have meticulous data to prove it, be ready and willing to have visitors in your room at a moment’s notice, and do all of that while holding your pee, smiling, and channeling Glinda the Good Witch, in an attempt to remain positive and engaging at all times.

However, somewhere through my near tears and piles of writing samples waiting to be filed, I took a merciful moment to think about what went well over the past couple of days.  Ever the reflective one, I am glad I did…

* My incredibly literal, if-he-was-any-cuter-I-wouldn’t-know-what-to-do-with-myself, first grader lost his first tooth ever, and was ecstatic!  One hour, a flimsy tooth-box, and a gym class later, he, I, and our 16 friends were on the search for the tiniest tooth known to man (of course, he lost it!).  I don’t normally talk to the kids like they’re adults, but in a moment of exasperation, I sighed, “This cannot be happening.”  He looked at me and said, “It really IS happening.”  Haha thanks for the slap of reality, buddy!

* One of my students is writing an “All About Miss K” book in Writing.  It is almost as good as the time I was the star in another student’s fairy tale last year.  (Hey, nothing beats being referred to as a “beautiful girl who lived in a big, big house.”)  Love my kids.  And it’s totally mutual.

* I got a hug from a child who has had a permanent “stank face” on since the first week of school.  I’m starting to see her smile more, and I was floored at the hugging today!  Si se puede, chica!  Life is good in first grade.  Promise.

*The kids absolutely FREAKED at dismissal time today when they saw the snow... In a good way.  You would have thought it was the first time they saw it.  Some were trying to catch it on their tongues, some started singing “Let It Snow,” some shrieked with delight, and some needed reminders NOT to eat the snow on the ground.  Sigh.  There’s always one (or three).

* I got an email from a parent I haven’t heard a lot from telling me, that her son is enjoying my class.  She added “y te quiere mucho tambien.”  Week.  Made.  

So data and observations aside, I am reminded that I am a blessed girl, and that, even when I’m stressed, the kids are seeing the beauty in snowflakes, “all about” books, and lost teeth.  I don’t want to become so wrapped up in the other stuff that I miss it.  I know there’s more good on the way.

Surprise

This weekend, I had the privilege of attending one of the coolest parties.   

I knew that one of my good friends from college was having a surprise party for her boyfriend’s 25^th birthday.  (PS- Rach and Jim, are without question the cutest and most genuine couple of all time, and I kinda wanna be them one day.  Unless that sounds creepy.  Hopefully you know what I mean.)

What I did not know was that Rachel would truly go ALL out, creating the ultimate “craft beer tasting” experience, complete with a variety of beers (I learned “golden” does not refer to the color of the bottle), tiny white lights on the ceiling (for the beirgarten look), pretzel necklaces (to cleanse the palette), and glasses customized for the occasion.  Anyone who walked into Jim’s parents’ house was BLOWN away by the detail and planning that went into it.

With the super special birthday guest of honor :)

I looked on, in awe, secretly (not-so-secretly?) admiring the amount of love in the room, and thinking that what the world really needs are more surprise parties.  (Although it did seem to take a lot of planning, and waiting for the guest of honor to arrive and be surprised was stressful enough, so no rush on that!)

Love these gorgeous girls

AND I had a fun time tasting beer!  Who would have thought?!  

Aspiring beer connoisseurs?  Not quite!

… But I am not quitting my day job.