January and February happened

Feeling fortunate for all the wonderful people in my life. My birthday was in January, but it don't matter what month it is, because every day of my life I'm feeling the love. Cheesy? Well, listen up young'n, I don't care.

Out to dinner for my birthday. Damn it feels good to be pasty. Throw ya hands in the air, if you's ...

My kitchen. Brick floors. Radiator. Orange paint. Gin. Squash. We got the beat!

laundry day

We posed around an ice sculpture. But it ended up looking like we posed around a bunch of huge TP rolls.

Cool menus.

Customized menus for my birthday. What a surprise. Flaming hot. That's me.

Sidetracked Lessons

Teaching has brought so many joys. Some blips along the way. A lot of thinking, "Are you serious, kid?" And, "I swear to god if you make one more paper airplane." But laughs? Oh yes indeed.

{image via}

A 3rd grade student and I always have particularly fruitful conversations. He always manages to get me sidetracked.

Student: Ms. B, what do you do on Friday nights?

Me: Hmm that varies. Tonight I'm seeing a movie.

Students: With your boyfriend?

Me: No. Just friends.

Student: Why aren't you married?

Me: Why aren't YOU married?

Student: {giggles} Have you been to Vegas?

Me: Yes.

Student: Casinos are haraam.

Me: To each their own.

Student: What does that mean?

Me: Okay, we actually have to do math.

Student: I have two rabbits.

Me: {laughing uncontrollably for the next 20 seconds}

Needless to say, it was a productive lesson.

Around my house on Sunday Afternoon

: Baby's breath flowers and an old fashioned doorknob :

: Keep the coffee flowing and I'm sure there are china patterns like this in the White House :

: A walk around Lake Harriet :

: Chairs from my grandma's house in the 50's :

Little Joy

Fab Moretti and Binki Shapiro of Little Joy back in the day via

Now he's with Kristen Wiig. I approve.

It's amazing how an unexpected text can brighten one's day. A mere sentence can have me smiling all the freaking live long day.

Here are some of my favorite texts that are still in my inbox:

From my brother Kevin:

If you don't download Hall and Oats' "Rich Girl" and blast it while you're in the shower, well, then, your life is missing something.

From my brother Matt:

I turn 10,000 days old tomorrow. You don't have to get me anything.

From my cousin Sean:

Step the eff aside when that bouquet is thrown unless you wanna get hurt.

From my cousin Sean:

Rihanna's "Live Your Life" played at the wedding I was at last night and I almost took my shirt off.

From my friend Rich:

I'm at the scene of the chincident. Happy Wednesday!

From my friend Mallory:

Happy Thanksgiving! May your day bring happiness and no kidney stones.

From my brother Kevin:

Clark Duke is hilarious. And he was raised like a gentleman.

From my brother Kevin:

Veterans of Foreign War? Yeah, that's pretty legit. Keep the tunes flowing.

From my friend Kyle:

Merry belated Christmas. Hope you got all the cast iron skillets you hoped for. And if you didn't, just lemme know because I got 2.

Stretch

Autumn Island, Brienzersee, Switzerland via

When was the last time you treated yourself to a good ole fashion stretch?

It's been a while for me. Growing up it was a morning ritual. I took three minutes before I got out of bed just to stretch.

I'm going to incorporate it into my semi-adult life. Hopefully it will make my mornings before work a wee bit better.

Thoughts right NOW:

1) Adele is so bad ass. I can't even handle it. I just can't.

2) I've been thinking about cheeseburgers a lot lately. Random.

3) I don't enjoy that feeling I get when I knowingly am procrastinating and still refuse to do anything about it. Kind of like what I'm doing right now.... that paper for my grad class will just have to write itself...

4) Turn on Spice Girls "Wannabe" at a party and just wait for the magic that ensues.

5) I feel like Minnesotans see my Illinois license plate and just automatically assume I'm a bad driver. I mean, they are absolutely correct, but I wish they'd at least let me prove it before they go judging me.

6) Never been good at: wrapping presents or folding clothes.

7) I was having a good day and then I dropped my Blockbuster card in between my driver's seat and the middle part of the car. I knew my hand was too big to get into the small crevice. But that didn't stop me. Then my hand got stuck. Then I said some choice words. Then I started getting really frustrated. Then I was getting frustrated that I was allowing myself to get frustrated. Then I stopped being such a baby and took a breather. Then after contorting my hand in very painful ways, I finally got that darn Blockbuster card.

That is all.

Listening to:

When Sunday feels like Saturday

On calm, quiet days like this, what I wish to do with my life seems so crystal clear... make movies. Documentaries, trailers, short films, montages, etc. All of it.

Inspired by this movie:

Thoughts:

Jumbled thoughts as I slowly devour (contradiction?) this beautiful Sunday breakfast consisting of toast, 2 poached eggs and coffee. The house is quiet and I have work off tomorrow. MLK, every year, I'm so proud to say we share the same birthday week. It's like we're friend soul mates.

1) Staplers might actually be the death of me.

2) J. Crew makes me mad. Stop being so expensive. My thoughts as I peruse the store... "Oh, what a darling nautical striped shirt. Hmm I wonder how much it -- $125.00???? Forgetaboutit!" Then I leave the store.

3) I want to hang out with Yo-Yo Ma. He's so smiley.

Missing:

My kitchen on summer mornings, when the outdoor lighting is so inviting.

Listening to:

Home for the Holidays

Christmas lights at Matt and Lindsey's house

Me in my Christmas sweater

My parents' comfy bed that I sneak into early in the morning once they've left for work

My beautiful cousin Kate who's getting married on New Year's Eve

A good time

I'm home. And it feels so good. I wish my week vacation could be extended. I feel so blessed to be with my family and friends during the holidays. My cousin Kate is getting married this weekend in Chicago. Can't wait to put on my dancing shoes and party hardy (do people still say that?) with all my relatives!

Hillside Blooming

Ok, girl. Alright, alright.

You're gonna make me lonesome when you go

I’ve seen love go by my door
It’s never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
Been shooting in the dark too long
When somethin’s not right it’s wrong
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go

Dragon clouds so high above
I’ve only known careless love
It’s always hit me from below
This time around it’s more correct
Right on target, so direct
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go

Purple clover, Queen Anne’s Lace
Crimson hair across your face
You could make me cry if you don’t know
Can’t remember what I was thinkin’ of
You might be spoilin’ me too much, love
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go

Flowers on the hillside, bloomin’ crazy
Crickets talkin’ back and forth in rhyme
Blue river runnin’ slow and lazy
I could stay with you forever and never realize the time

Situations have ended sad
Relationships have all been bad
Mine’ve been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud
But there’s no way I can compare
All those scenes to this affair
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go

Yer gonna make me wonder what I’m doin’
Stayin’ far behind without you
Yer gonna make me wonder what I’m sayin’
Yer gonna make me give myself a good talkin’ to

I’ll look for you in old Honolulu
San Francisco, Ashtabula
Yer gonna have to leave me now, I know
But I’ll see you in the sky above
In the tall grass, in the ones I love
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go

Cheese

{image via}

My go-to food? Cheese. Always cheese.

Can't get enough of it.

One of my favorite students and I had this conversation recently in the lunchroom...

Student: "Hey Ms. B, my birthday is coming up in December. You know what that means?"

Me: "No, what does it mean?"

Student: "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese. I love cheese. And on my birthday we only eat foods with cheese. Cheese pizza, mac and cheese, mozzarella sticks, cheesy potatoes, nachos and cheese, and some more cheese."

All I could do for the following minute was laugh hysterically.

Youth Lagoon

Home alone. Youth Lagoon's music has been calming all day long. Montana sounds nice right about now.

Yesterday I went for a walk with my friend Rachel. It was the best. We stopped at a park and had a little chit chat. During our discussion she nonchalantly said, "Twenties are a turbulent time." It was quite poetic.

Later we got pizza. Mine had potato on it, hers had bean dip. Again, poetic.

Youth Lagoon - Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.

The songs that made me so

I took a break from correcting homework and lesson planning on Sunday. I ended up making this and never returned to the work. Work/life balance, right?

{Song - Postcards from Italy - Beirut}

{Video and Editing - Kathleen Quinn}

Postcards from Italy

The times we had
Oh, when the wind would blow with rain and snow
Were not all bad
We put our feet just where they had
Had to go, never to go

The shattered soul
Following close but nearly twice as slow
In my good times
There were always golden rocks to throw
At those who
Those who admit defeat too late
Those were our times, those were our times

And I will love to see that day
That day is mine
When she will marry me outside
With the willow trees
And play the songs we made
They made me so
And I would love to see that day
Her day was mine

HP Wonderfulness

Just doin' their thang.

Hands of a rock n' roll band

On repeat. Because I love this song and I love Oasis.

Slip inside the eye of your mind

Don't you know you might find

A better place to play

You said that you'd never been

But all the things that you've seen

Will slowly fade away

So I start a revolution from my bed

'Cause you said the brains I had went to my head

Step outside, summertime's in bloom

Stand up beside the fireplace

Take that look from off your face

'cause You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by

Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger

I heard you say

Take me to the place where you go

Where nobody knows, if it's night or day.

Please don't put your life in the hands

Of a Rock 'n Roll band

and throw it all away

Gonna start the revolution from my bed

'Cause you said the brains I had went to my head

Step outside the summertime's in bloom

Stand up beside the fireplace

Take that look from off your face

You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by.

her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger

I heard you say

And So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by

Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger

I heard you say

So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late and we're walking on by

Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger, don't look back in anger

I heard you say

It's not today.

Reminders of Home

One day there was a girl named Kathleen. She had a really, really crappy day at work. Ya know, kids swearing at one another, other kids making fun of other kids and telling them that their face looked like moldy macaroni (why are kids so mean???), other kids saying, "I hate this school," while glaring at Kathleen. Oh, and there's always the classic kid that decides to bring in a bag of dirt that they collected during recess. And then, of course, they decide to spill it all over the class carpet. Again, classic. Really brightens the day... not.

Then she got home after a 12 hour day. There was a package from her dad on the stoop. In it was the Shel Silverstein book, "Every Thing On It," a compilation of some of his best poems. She opened to the first poem and smiled for probably the first time that day. The poem was called "Years From Now"

YEARS FROM NOW

Although I cannot see your face

As you flip through these poems awhile,

Somewhere from some far-off place

I hear you laughing -- and I smile.

The gift was accompanied by the perfectest (not a word) card. "Thinking of you. Believing in you. Here for you."

The next day this girl named Kathleen had a another crappy day. Super crappy. Supa, supa crappy.

Then she got home after a 12 hour day. There was a package at the front door from her oldest brother Matthew and his girlfriend Lindsey. In it was Kathleen's favorite dessert in the whole world - Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. A happy girl and a happy stomach.

The cheesecake was sent all the way from North Carolina. And the dessert was prompted by Matthew reading an earlier blog post in which I said I was craving the cheesecake. So, so thoughtful.

The cheesecake was accompanied by this note...

I guess it's true. Family is all that matters.

Salut

Yesterday I had lunch with my mom's college roommate Fran who I haven't seen in 21 years! So technically, I've never seen her, because the lord knows I have no memory from when I was 1 years old. My precise cognitive awareness didn't kick in until I was 2. It was a heck of a year!

Anyway, Fran lives in St. Paul and treated me to brunch at Salut. It was the best. Just what I needed. It was so nice to be around a mom and to have someone say the types of things like, "Don't work yourself too hard," "Make sure you make time for yourself," "Ya know, kids can just be brats, can't they?"

Sigh of relief.

Breath of fresh air.

I've only been working for 5 weeks? Yikes.

So, during the week I eat terribly. PB&J, pretzels and coffee is my diet. Throw some Chex Mix in for good measure. I know, it's super bland and bad and boring and I'm gonna pay for it.

But, on the weekends, I've been making up for it. As I said, I went to Salut, and it was bom-chicka-wow-wow good.

I had the eggs florentine.

I didn't get the french fries.... but there's always next time.

We sat outdoors because it was such a lovely fall day with a bonus of sunshine - image via

Went to Starbucks to grade homework and got a pumpkin spice latte. Fall is here. And it feels so right.