Elastic Heart

Posted on December 31, 2013

I don’t think 2013 has been a particularly hard year, but I can’t say that I will look back on it with much love or fondness. About the best thing I can say about it: the girls graduated from college with honors and on time. That’s about it. Oh, and we adopted Lucy, our lovable beagle-Labrador. And I started running. And I still love my job. And my husband (that goes without saying since he pretty much balances me). And I got to spend one more Christmas with my girls and him. So, in 2014, I vow to: – blog more (I miss it) – grade more efficiently (because it sucks) – run better (still trying) – cook more (because I’m pretty much proficient…

Categories: Lucy, Memories, The Girls, Travels

Land of Gathering

Posted on June 23, 2013

On Monday of last week, the girls and I took a very quick trip to Boston. Nothing major. Really nothing planned other than looking at apartments for Jordan since she’s going to grad school there in the fall. It was a trial run for me to see how I would do driving to Boston since I’ll probably do the majority of the driving there, not because Dave is incapable but because my car is the one that we usually take. Yes, he can drive my car, but we pretty much drive our own cars. It’s weird to most people, but I really don’t care. So, Monday? And Boston? First, the question of route. Take 84 through Connecticut or 95. If we take 84, how…

Categories: Summer, The Girls, Travels

I Love It

Posted on May 10, 2013

Two weeks ago – yup, I planned ahead – I was fortunate enough to chaperone a school trip to New York City for a visit to the Central Park Zoo and a matinee of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I’m extremely grateful to work in a district that values technology and goes the extra mile for our students when it comes to teaching them the skills necessary to navigate a digital world. Plus, we live very close to New York City, so the occasional trip can be swung for our web page design group and television broadcast team. I went with the television broadcast team back in November to view a taping of…

Categories: 10 On 10, School, Travels

So Cold I Can See My Breath

Posted on March 10, 2013

“We’re headed to Chicago this weekend,” I told my co-workers, “to see a hockey game. Dave’s and my alma mater is playing his sister’s and her husband’s school at Soldier Field.” That’s where I lost people. Not with the weekend trip to Chicago. Or the love of hockey. At the mention of it being outdoors in February. “You know it’s cold in Chicago this time of year, right?” was the most common response. Granted, I knew that . . . but holy hell, nothing prepared me for the level of cold. Yikes! Here’s our first full day in the Windy City, windchill 4 F. Or, as I would tell my daughters, a little brisk. This 10-on-10 is from February 16, 2013 between 7 AM…

Categories: 10 On 10, Travels

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2012

It’s been a long December. I decided to write an essay with my students on top of a vocabulary writing quiz and a huge book project with my reading partner. Needless to say, it’s meant weekend after weekend full of revising and responding to essays and very little else. I couldn’t tell you the last time that I knit before today or even took a photo for that matter. Christmas break seemed like it would never, ever begin, but thankfully, Friday afternoon came and with it an 11 day break from school and a trip to Cambridge and Springfield, Ohio. Cambridge, Dave’s hometown, has always had its share of quirks. My hometown is quirky, but because it’s slightly larger, they tend to stay hidden.…

Categories: The Girls, Travels

Angel Dressed In Black

Posted on October 31, 2012

So, Sandy. You’re a bit of a bitch. Granted, things could have been much, much worse, but this has gone on far too long. People are reduced to circling tables at Panera for an outlet or camping out at Barnes and Noble for some WiFi. Friends won’t have power for days, some weeks. But still, people are as good as they are going to be. Status updates allow us to check in with each other. Tweets from Nevada make us feel loved. And good friends prove just how good they are with a hot shower. Or homemade brownies. Or the offer of a shared bottle of Baileys. That, my lovelies, is true friendship.

Categories: Minor Rants, Travels

The Sweet Escape

Posted on October 23, 2012

It takes me a while to get shit done these days. Dishes. Vacuuming. Grading. Processing photos. About the only thing I get done on time is go to sleep, and even that is in question given the number of times I’ve woken up on the couch. So I guess even that skill has left me. And it comes as very little surprise then that it might take me about two full weeks to get my Toronto photos completed and up. It has been ages since I was last in Toronto. Pretty sure that I was seven the last time I was there, so I doubt it even counts. But still, it felt very familiar. Very natural. Very homelike. Sure, there were lots of nods…

Categories: Blog Friends, Memories, O + U, Travels

Ten Seconds

Posted on October 10, 2012

Normally, a 10 On 10 day is a regular, run-of-the-mill kinda day. Nothing special. Nothing unusual going on. So let’s just pretend that I jet off to Canada on a daily basis and meet up with women who fill me with joy and recharge my batteries all the f-ing time. Because reality can wait for a weekend. All photos were taken on October 5, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey and Toronto, Canada. If you’re done here, go check out Laura Louise’s day. That would be her in the fifth photo taking something awesome, no doubt!

Categories: 10 On 10, Blog Friends, Scheduled Posts, Travels

King of the Rodeo

Posted on October 5, 2012

I’m sitting in Newark International waiting for my flight. And I hate it. I hate flying by myself. I hate not having access to the perks my husband brings to a flight. I hate listening to other people’s conversations on their cell phones. I hate when people don’t follow the posted rules. I just hate it. But it’s the quickest way from Point A to Point B. So I put up with El Douche’s conversation about securing model rights and revenue enhancements. Walk around the woman zipping up her thigh high boots and carefully arranging her poncho on the other side of security. Listen to the anchors on Headline News exaggerate every syllable. And look for a bar. See you soon, Toronto!

Categories: Travels

Tagged: Airports, Travels

The Song Remains the Same

Posted on May 26, 2012

I hate saying good-bye. Dave and the Girls will tell you I get downright bitchy the day before they leave to go back to school. I can’t explain it … it just happens. Yesterday, we took a train to Lübeck, a town about 45 minutes north of Hamburg to give Shelby a break from playing tour guide. It was a cute and charming little town. Dave found some “sweet kicks,” I found a wonderful yarn shop, and Mom bought a few scarves since she only brought seven. Fun fact about Germany: Germans drink 40 gallons of beer a year. It’s cheaper than water. After all our travels, I can say we’ve put a small dent in the average amount. See you in America!