things that make me happy

 

1. Getting photos and little videos of my new nephew. He's pretty much the cutest baby in the world.

2. Only 2 more weeks of school left. This year was really hard and amazing all at the same time. I feel accomplished.

3. My husband is finally done with the soccer season, which means he's home in the evenings and is back to cooking. He's a good cook.

4. Today was the Senior Exit Assembly. The tradition is for all of the teachers to create a gauntlet to welcome in the freshmen at the beginning of the year and to send off the seniors at the end.  During the gauntlet, one of the seniors from my group in Writing Intervention gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you for everything you did for us this year." I didn't expect it. It made me happy.

5. Yoga at school. Our wellness program is offering yoga a couple of days after school for teachers. Our instructor is awesome. I feel so much better (physically and mentally) after each class. There is also something kind of nice about doing yoga with your colleagues.

6. Reading my students' blog posts. My English 9 kids are reading Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. We've been discussing memoir, and I'm having them do a ton of personal writing to gear up for their final assessment, which is a short personal narrative. Blogging has been a great tool to have them write a lot, to edit their writing, to read their classmates' writing, and to provide quick and accessible feedback. I love reading about their lives, getting to know them through their writing, laughing at their silly stories, and sometimes crying when learning about their struggles. They are such amazing young people, and I'm really proud of how much they've grown as writers and as human beings.

i'm not dead

I just haven't been blogging much. Yesterday, it snowed a ton. In spite of the blizzard, Marissa and I drove out to Lafayette to visit Bess in the hospital. It was well worth the trip. She had a little baby boy, and he is absolutely beautiful.

My brother and Irena also had a baby, Oliver (photo below). I got to "meet" him via Facetime last week. It was fun to see his little face. And he was looking right at me, through the screen. I can't wait to meet him in real life.

I have a little bit of spring fever. The break is a week away, and I can hardly wait. I don't have anything exciting planned, but it will be nice to sleep in and go out for drinks. I've been missing family and itching to get away to Boston or California. I still have to reschedule my San Francisco trip from the fall. I'll probably have to wait until summer. This year, I've been so immersed in my job that I've had to put nearly everything else on the back burner. I guess that's what summer's for. And it will be here soon enough.

a little reminder

I'm not ready for this long weekend to be over. My friend, Michelle, came to visit, which was a nice excuse to forget about school and all of my responsibilities and just hang out. We did some shopping on South Broadway Saturday afternoon and went to dinner with friends on Saturday and on Sunday. Michael and Elena were also in town for the long weekend, so we had a fun dinner out with them as well.

Best of all, I got a new nephew yesterday! I haven't met him, but I love him so much already. He's got a head full of hair, he looks just like Scott, and we've been waiting for him for so long.

Lately, I feel like I've been so busy, stressed, and preoccupied with school that I've been more focused on the things that give me anxiety and less focused on the things that make me happy and matter most in life. This weekend was a really good reminder that there is more to life than work, that I have people in my life I love, and that the stress is only temporary.

a movie and other random stuff

Over the long weekend Aaron and I watched Beasts of the Southern Wild. It was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. I noticed some connections to Their Eyes Were Watching God, which I'll be teaching later this semester, and am hoping I can find a way to tie in the movie to my unit. You have to go see this movie. Hushpuppy will inspire you.

In other news, I've got a lot to look forward to in the next couple of months, including an upcoming visit from Michelle, my college bestie. School is keeping me busy, as always, but I love what I do so I cannot complain. I'm reading another graphic novel- this one is called, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. It's depressing. I am pretty sure I got a concussion on Sunday while snowboarding, which happened after I became sick on the mountain. Time to get a helmet. We had nice weather last week, which got me excited for summer-- bike rides, road trips, and the ocean. Happy Friday.

funny little things

Maybe it's because the semester is almost over, maybe it's because I am finally (sort of) caught up on my grading, or maybe it's because I just had a break, but this week I keep thinking about how much I love my job. It's a hard job, but it's really fun and rewarding. My students ask me the funniest questions. Here are some of ones they've asked recently (some of these I'm asked frequently and by multiple students):

1. Did you vote for Obama? You're part Mexican, so probably, right?

2. Are you married?

3. Do you want kids?
*They ask me this all of the time.

4. Are we your favorite class?

5. I'm your favorite student, right?

6. Mrs. H., are you a hipster? You are, aren't you?

7. Can I straighten your hair?

8. Will you wear your hair down next time?
(I get the feeling some of them want to help out their frumpy old teacher)

9. Would you ever get a piercing above your lip? You should.

This one was today. It surprised me. Anyway, they make me laugh a lot. I love my students.

over the break

My break is almost over, and I am wondering how I will actually be able to finish the piles of grading in on my desk. Unfortunately, my semester didn't end before the holiday, which means that things are going to be crazy-busy as I try to get everything graded before finals (in a week and a half). I'm not used to this at all. Not finishing the semester before Christmas seems weird to me. In spite of all of this, I was able to enjoy my vacation. I think it helped that we didn't go anywhere for the holidays, that we really didn't do presents, and that we kept things super low-key.

So, as usual, I'll update you in list form. Here are a few of the things I enjoyed over the break. I took so few photos that you'll have to settle for photos of my dogs and my new chair.

1. We watched some good movies: The King's Speech, Hugo, and Silver Linings. I liked them all, but I especially liked Hugo.

2. I rearranged my office to make it easier to work on multiple things at once. We moved the vintage couch into the living room, and in its place, I added a chair and a little sewing desk. Now I have a table top for my computer in addition to the desk space for jewelry-making. It's perfect.

3. I got to see Sonya (she was in town for the holidays, of course). I miss my far-away friends, so it's fun when they visit.

4. I went up to Boulder and had lunch with Kelly at Foolish Craig's, an old favorite. I was reminded how much I love Boulder but how much I also love living in a city.

5. We went to a friend's house for a very fun game night. Have you ever heard of Cards Against Humanity? It's super R-rated and naughty.

6. I made A LOT of jewelry for my shop. I'm gearing up for Valentine's Day.

7. I've been reading some new graphic novels. Right now I am reading Anya's ghost. I like it.

I know there is more, but I am tired and can't think of it all right now. This semester has been so insanely busy that it was really nice to get some rest, to see some friends, and to just relax and enjoy life. Happy New Year.