People and Places

Last Friday was my last day of teaching. Summer has been awesome thus far. I've done a whole lot of relaxing and reading. My high school self would never have believed this, but a year of work has actually made it possible for me to naturally get up at 8 a.m. (or earlier). I don't even need to set my alarm. I just wake up, look at the clock, give myself a thumbs up and waltz downstairs to make coffee and toast a bagel. 

I sometimes amaze myself with how much I can get done when I choose not to be lazy. I make a To Do list (I'm a little obsessed with them) and then I just power through that bad boy. Yesterday, before noon, I did laundry, watched my friend's little brother play in a State tennis match, went for a walk around the lake, stubbed my toe, paid bills, contemplated weeding my driveway (but didn't), talked to a college roommate for a half hour, made lunch, ate lunch, did dishes, cleaned my room, swept the entire house and then read the book Mockingjay on my back porch for an hour. ALL BEFORE NOON! Mom and dad, can you even believe this?

In other news, I've been perusing some of my favorite blogs, many of which I like just because of the peaceful and/or funny pictures posted. Looking at them reminded me of how I need to get started on collecting footage for my "Summer in Minnesota" video I'm going to make. I love just walking around town with my camera in hand. Happy place. 

So, here are some pictures from around the world, from both the present and the past. I like em. 

MJ, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson. Always ballers. 

Rachel McAdams. Making girls everywhere jealous since 2004.

They were just babies. Also, who the heck is the guy on the right?

Just look at his proud mama. 

I'm so confused. But this looks awesome.

Love this movie. True love.

Once.

Lovely.

Beautiful.

Well then. Luke Bryan. 

Adorable. My invite must have gotten lost in the mail. 

 Me and my Madison gals in Vegas last year. 

Diverge

{Lake Mendota via}

On my way home from my softball game last night, I was about 2 blocks away from home when this song came on. Now, I'm not particularly a huge fan of this band, but just a few familiar tunes brings on a flood of memories. Two summers ago my aunt invited me to a Goo Goo Dolls concert. She and the rest of her nurse buddies enjoy their songs and bought some tickets to see them at Northerly Island. I had nothing to do, and I love hanging out with my aunt, uncle and cousins, so I gladly accepted. 

I'll never forget how my Uncle Skip kept checking to see if I wanted something to eat or drink. Whenever I tried to give him money, he would just wave his hand and say, "Don't even think about it."

I really miss my uncle. July will mark a year since his passing. He was such a friendly, big-hearted guy. The best of the best. 

So, when I heard "Slide" come on the radio, I diverged from my planned path and instead headed to the lake. I circled that lake two times with my car windows down.  It felt good to just "be."

{Sarah, Sean, Aunt Maureen, Colleen, me, Uncle Skip at the concert}

Wow

What a goofy guy. 

A Time For Everything

A quick three things: 
1) I don't know my tater-tot limit. 
2) As long as I'm safe in my home, whenever there is a storm brewing, I automatically feel a little bit calmer. Why is that?
3) My new slogan, "A root beer float a day keeps the doc away."


I've been contemplating this lately:
     There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

A time to laugh. A time to scatter stones. A time to laugh. A time to scatter stones. 
A time to laugh. 

Cool & Not Cool at School

image via

Not Cool
-  Having your boss catch you go through the Emergency Exit door to snag a pop from the vending machine.
- A bunch of 3rd graders flicking pieces of corn dogs at one another. Sick. 
- Whining over where you stand in line. Get. Over. It.
Cool
-  First grade students spontaneously doing the dougie out of excitement in response to the statement, "Now we are going to play Around the World with sight words." Who woulda thunk?
- A kindergartner beelining for you in the hall just to tell you that he is going to buy you pizza and chocolate milk for your birthday... even though your birthday is 8 months away. 
- A first grader asking me to come to his little league baseball games over the summer. And then following it up with, "And, maybe, you could make me signs cheering me on and maybe you could buy me nachos after the game." Maybe, Martez. Maybe. 

Content and the grass is a pretty green

There are 9 teaching days left until summer. Two of which are field trips and 1 of which is kindergarten/senior graduation. But, I mean, who's counting? Oh, yeah, I am.

This looks ideal.

image via

People I'm struggling to understand...
1) People who jog in place at a red light. That is prime catch-your-breath time. 
2) People who put on their left turn signal at the very last moment. Don't even get me started.
3) People that ride motorcycles and don't wear a helmet.
4) People who refuse to take the last piece of food on a platter. Just do it!
5) People who respond to the question, "How are you?", but then don't ask it in return. 


In other unrelated news...
-  This is hitting a little too close to home this weekend. Moooooom, where are you and why aren't you calling me back?
-  Pumped for this camera strap to make its way to Minneapolis. 
-  I put my window unit in, and wah lah, peaceful sleeps. Sort of like this.
-  I will be making this come summer. 
-  I have 2 episodes left in the series Friday Night Lights. But, seriously, what a dreamboat. 


Listening to... 

Swim the sea, drink the wild air

Image via

Surf that web, a'ight?

1)  Cliffs of Moher. Let's go.

2)  Your Love - Bon Iver. Music starts around 2:15.

3)  Smarty Pants as an end of the year gift. Thinking about it. 

No complaints

This is 93% of the reason I watch The New Girl. 

Jake Johnson. What a dreamboat. 

If my brothers are reading this, they are likely rolling their eyes and telling me to get a life. 

Life Lately

(+)    Happy Mother's Day, Momma! Move to Minnesota? Please. I'll buy you breakfast! And go to church with you. 
(-)     I attempted to mow our lawn this week. Failed miserably. So embarrassing. 
(+)    Read outside today and ate pancakes like a boss.
(-)     Got turned down from a bar last night for wearing sandals. I don't have time for that snooty crap. Get me to Red Shed.
(+)    Joined a co-ed softball league and didn't strike out. 
(-)     Spilled syrup all over my shirt. My life is a mess.
(+)   Celebrated my dear friend Rachel's birthday last weekend in a 1920 something themed party. 

Roommates - Kaitlin, Stacey, Allison, me

Oh would you look at that; dancing by myself again like a goon and Mal looking like she's singing the gospel in church

 With the birthday girl sporting her flapper outfit

Beautiful tree on a bike ride along Minnehaha Parkway

 Kaitlin relaxing in our family room

My momma's pretty garden back home in Illinois

Trampled By Turtles - Duluth, MN.

i love this song. i love this band. i love the simplicity. i love the lyrics. 

You come into the world alone
And you go out of the world alone
But in between, theres you and me
Ohhh

Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh

The summer breezes blow so tall
And the winter nights are cold and so long
In between the falling leaves ohhh

Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh
OhohohOh

The days and nights are killing me
The light and dark are still in me
But there's and anchor on the beach
So let the wind blow hard
And bring a falling star Ohoh

Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh
OhohohOH

Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh
Ohohohoh

Kate and Dan

A quick video I put together of my cousin Kate and her husband Dan's wedding on New Year's Eve 2011. Hope you enjoy!

Home is where the heart is

I spent three impromptu days at home in Chicago. They were wonderful. Mainly because I didn't do anything but hang with those I love. Then it was back to the grind of work and school in Minnesota. Two highlights: 1) One of my students told me I looked like Luke Skywalker. When I asked why, he responded, "Because you're wearing a belt." Classic. 2) I finished up grad classes for the semester. Hopefully that means Thirsty Thursday can commence. 

1. A cup of joe for my dad Joe. A beautiful mug from the maker Cat Studio.

2. My dog Lenny. The Marlon Brando of black labs. 

3. My darling grandma in her senior graduation picture in 1933 from Mercy High School in Chicago. The caption under her name says, "An Irish nose that wiggles expressively when she talks... optimistic philosopher." I'm not quite sure what that all means, but I like it. 

4. A close up of her - top right. 

71st Anniversary

Today would have been my grandma (Q) and grandpa's (Doc) 71st wedding anniversary. Good people. Real good people. My grandma always liked calla lilies. However, she did not like fake flowers. She thought they were tacky. One time she took the plastic flowers that were in a vase in the bathroom, down the toilet. Rebel. My grandpa liked to sneak cookies. He would put one finger up to his mouth and say "Shhhh" before my grandma walked into the room.

Also, when we'd be out to eat and he'd have a glass of wine, he'd say to the waitress, "Well, would you look at that. You brought me another glass with a hole in the bottom. Again, rebel.

When I'm Silly

Today and tomorrow my students are taking the math MCA (state standardized test for Minnesota). We've been doing something a little each day over the past week to pump us up for the test. Today we had a dance party to a pump up song. It... was... awesome. Watching a little 4th grader with severe bed head do the robot is a sight to see.

So the following is nothing like our mini dance party, but this dance party rocks on so many levels.

Extras = one of the best shows ever.

Spring Break

image via

I'm on spring breaaaaak! For a whopping 3 days. Party time! And by "party time", I really mean "napping time".

Minni Apple spring break 2012: Biking, Breakfast, Beer, and Bitchin' good times!

Today I sat on a porch chair much like this. It was wonderful. It wasn't so wonderful when four kids came over and kept pointing at it to their mother and I instantly felt like I had to be a kind adult and let the kids have the swing chair space. I smiled as I offered up the chair to the little ones, but on the inside, nuh uh.

In unrelated news, here is a list of people and things that can take a hike.

In no specific order.

1) People that get tan.

2) People that comment on my sunburn any time I get a sunburn.

3) Cats (I don't trust them. They always ignite a small panic attack. Except kittens. They're ok.)

4) Staplers that are jammed.

5) People that jam said staplers and make no attempt to fix or replace them.

6) Girls who talk about salads and diets a little too much. Newsflash: I don't care.

7) Girls who ask if I wanna split a meal. Heck nah.

8) People with expressionless faces.

9) People who don't wave back.

10) Thunderstorms that last less than 1o minutes. What a tease!

11) A belabored topic.

12) Public mushy couples. Yuuuuuck.