The Final 24

How I spent my last day of 2012:

Waking up at my parent's house next to a slightly damp 2.5year old
Grocery shopping with Jon and H- finally, we'd been living on take out and xmas cookies for too long
Cleaning the house like a mad woman- did you know in many cultures this is a customary New Year's practice? Rids your house of old-chi, ready for a clean slate
Eating tuna melts that Jon grilled up
Drinking an entire pot of coffee
Sledding on an infant-sized sled with HP on my lap- we were a sight! Although, I really should have gotten a picture of Jon as he balanced on that little blue sled while flying down the hill
Watching Jon and H snuggle while watching Toy Story 3
Wearing my new polka-dot sweater from Katie, comfy slippers from Mom and Dad, my Abuelita's plastic yellow necklace, and feeling extra-snug in my jeans (Xmas cookies....)
Watching season 2 of the Walking Dead, not really sure this is a great NYE movie choice, but I'm too far in to stop now
Drinking half a bottle of red wine
Watching the ball drop from my little t.v. screen in GR
Waiting for Jon to come home after his evening shift to wish him a Happy New Years
Bed time

Happy New Year! 

onwards and upwards

I am not abandoning my blog! However, I've been busy with the new job. And not in a terrible, worked-to-death way.

I'll update you with some goodies :)

What a peach :)

HP's Halloweens

I was emptying pictures off our camera and came across some of HP's greatest Halloween hits :)

2010: Baby Scarecrow 

2011: Tiny Parrot 

HP and his best friend cowboy Eli

2012: Little Boy Buzz

Good Tidings

So much has happened around here this last month. All of it good! HP got to spend a lot of quality time with his cousins and aunties from the west coast. He greeted Katie who returned from Yellowstone by giving her the name Keke. I was offered a new job! Which I happily accepted and will begin this coming week. We're all feeling pretty happy around here :)

Harrison and I posing for a pre-Trick or Treating picture. He (or rather his daddy) chose to be Buzz Lightyear.

I said goodbye to my little friends at my charter school a week ago. I am starting a new job at the corporate headquarters this coming Monday. Eeek.

One thing I have to figure out, and fast, is what to wear! For the first time in 6 years I don't have to do calisthenics in front of a mirror to make sure my outfit is school appropriate while sitting, standing, bending and sitting on the floor.

I am already sad to think I wont see my normal groups on Monday morning.

My pride and joy, my bulletin board!

My sweet boy. 

Fall

 Tis the season for running through leaves, chasing squirrels, playing hide-and-seek, picking pumpkins and eating our weight in apples and doughnuts. We are on our game. That is probably the best explanation for my lack of updates. That and the less exciting, simpler events that mark the passage of time. The soccer practices and games, the adult ESL tutoring, the general up-keeping of the house, all those things that I can do by heart now. It keeps me moving.

But instead of being weighed down by the fact that all these littles add up to a big day I feel good about almost everything that I do. And that is a great feeling. Kind of like registering for college courses and finding you've gotten into all your top choices and they all start after 10am with no Friday class. I think I registered my semester of life well this time.

There is still a laundry list of Fall to-dos, but I'm not stressing. I'll get to it if I do. Right now I'm relishing in these bits of lovliness: a friend's baby announcement, a possible career shift (trying not to hold my breath), a baby shower, two completed knit projects, dinners with friends, and the fact that TODAY my little HP looked at me and said 'Mama'. He decided this morning to actually address me by that name (after all this while!) and I could not be happier to hear his sweet voice.

Art Prize 2012

2012

I love seeing Grand Rapids at its best, and I think Art Prize is one of those times. I was geeked to start planning my house party. And true to form, I changed all plans at the last minute. I decided to play it cheap and delicious instead of pricey and delectable. So instead of buying my weight in cinnamon rolls from my favorite GR bakery (Wealthy Street) I spent Friday night listening to Adele and making baby quiches and a cinnamon swirl bundt. Gotta love a quiche that you can fill with a bunch of yumminess, some of which that came right out of the backyard. Pinterest also helped me out with a recipe for pumpkin spice latte, yum.

2011

Oh man what was I wearing here? Crazytown. You know, you can tell me when I'm looking a less than sweet. Keep that in mind Jon :)

 All three of these pictures are in front of the Eberhard Center, the site of our 2008 wedding reception. How cute :)

Oh, yes. I did chop my hair this past week. As these pictures will tell you it has been more than 3 years since I've had short hair. It's looking a little Momish right now...still working it out. I did donate 12 full inches to Locks for Love. Whew.

2010

Fun Friday

Alma Mater

Recently, Jon and I took a road trip to my alma mater, my first one anyway. What do you call your graduate school? Hmmm.

Aside from some growing and building, the feeling of being on campus was the very same. The students weren't yet walking around in sweats tucked into Uggs, but they were wearing the warm-weather equivelent to that dress code. Maize and blue was everywhere and packs of freshmen girls sauntered across the diag as bros gave big, back-slapping hellos to eachother.  Ah sweet college.


Would you do college any differently? Everyone I know would answer a resounding yes to re-doing high school differently in some way, but college is another story I think. Hopefully you had passed through that terribly awkward self-aware time of the teen years and emerged a more secure person in time to live out your college dreams. Did you?

In celebration of it being a full ten years since I began my college experience I will do what I love best. Without further introduction here is my list of top 10 best and worst moments of attending the University of Michigan!

BEST

1. living in Stockwell, an all girls dorm my freshman year- although devoid of hotties without shirts, the hygenic atmosphere and stellar food made up for it
2. playing on the women's rugby team my senior year- travelling to tournaments, drinking too much, and learning ridiculously lewd songs, all in the presence of very fun ladies
3. living the true freshman girl experience with my own pack of friends, wandering from dorm rooms to frat parties and back
4. studying abroad in Finland my junior year- I couln't name all the amazing things I did and saw, but the best are the friends I made and still have from all over
5. living with and working alongside my sister- a very different experience than living with a sister under your parent's roof
6. chatting on AIM with that sweet crush from H.S. and having him come visit me that fall...and keep visiting all 4 years
7. trying out and participating in the campus orchestra- even though I was last chair I still loved playing my cello
8. having tickets to every home football game the 3 years I lived in AA, the highlight being my senior year FRONT row student section with my friends
9. graduating with a solid 3.5 GPA and a job offer lined up
10. being a Wolverine, even though I thought I had my heart set on Notre Dame, UofM proved to be the best place for that quintessential college experience, and I am still proud to wear one of my many UM tees just like any true alumni would
     

WORST

1. gaining my freshman 20 10 and hanging on to it for far too long!
2. getting so very sick after an epic night out whereafter I swore off the demon drink as I lay in the fetal position at the bottom of my dorm shower...shame shame
3. withdrawing from ECON 101 only to retake the class the following year and get a hard-fought C, clearly not my strong suit
4. making bad decisions about my major- if I could have a do-over I'd have taken more Spanish and Physiology and Anatomy
5. not taking Physics- I really liked it in HS and did well in it, so why didn't I go for it? I could've been somebody!
6. working too much- I got a job within a week of moving there and had one throughout
7. being shy- come on Laura! Get over yourself! Well, that's what I wish I caould've said to me back then...
8. Not purchasing any required reading materials...did I mention I was so so cheap? Yes...I tried my best to read them at Borders or get them fron the library, but I always managed to get the wrong edition!
9. living in AA during the summer when NO one was around and all I did was work, sweat and watch too many movies
10. burning bridges with some friends, not typical of me and I still am bummed how some friendships just arn't able to last
     

 



Fredrick Meijer Gardens

One of the best things we did this year was to purchase a year membership to Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park foraroun $85. We have used it countless times. The best thing about it is that I don't feel bad having to cut my plans short due to a whining/screaming/or sleeping HP. We can go for 30 minutes and it is still worthwhile.

Jon's new job allows him a much later start to the work day (9:30 as opposed to like 6) so we've been able to drop him off downtown and head off to a weekend adventure just the two of us. FMG opens at 9 so it's perfect for avoiding lines and too many packs of crazy kids. It's a lot like wandering in to the Secret Garden, except not so secret, and pretty packed on its busy days! Get there early!



 



 

 

Who's Your Fashion Guru?

Don't have one? Well get one! I am just now realizing who mine is.

 

 

Being a girl, a middle child, and brotherless I grew up surrounded by ladies. But who did I use as my fashion guide grwoing up? My father. Ask my sister and she'll gladly tell you of the giant T's and baseball caps I sported throughout my most awkward pre-teen years. Luckily I do not have access to any of those pictures to share with you. Use your imagination, it was bad.

 

In high school, after Kellie left for college my closet shrunk by half. Katie's, four years behind me, offered nothing more than you'd expect from a 12 year old girl. I was forced into suppling my own clothes. It didn't go well. Memories of too-long dresses, bad cable-knit sweaters and over-sized jeans (they were in style I swear!) come to mind. And one particular memory of walking up the junior wing and seeing a very familiar outfit on a teacher...ugh. Now I was that girl.

 

It wasn't until college, Finland and NYC did I really embrace clothing as more than body warmers and decency coverings. Looking through my wardrobe now it's coming to my attention that 1) I should've lived in the mid 1950's, 2) it consists of 85% skirts and dresses and 3) I think I dress like my Abuelita would have in her 20's.

 

Don't you love the Chihuaha accessories :)

 

I inherited some gorgeous pairs of shoes from her, and luckily we have

the same shoe size.

 

Love me some plaid, a $10 steal at my local consignment

 

Yes, my Abuelita had some giant grandma brooches and her fair share of costume jewlery, but I would say she was a woman of style. Evidence of her awesome style is in a frame at my parent's house. A beautiful picture of her on her quincenera wearing an amazing dress and staring off to the side. It's in black and white. The really cool thing is I know for a fact everyone in my family knows exactly which picture I'm referring to :) It's just one of those photos that get lodged in your brain.

 

Her lady-like style and her penchant for keeping her Ferragamos in their original boxes has taught me much of what I know about fashion.

Fill your closet with dresses and re-heel whenever needed.

 

 

 

 

 

A Love Affair with Lists

Have you ever stopped and thought, "just how far back has Laura been doing her List of Things to Do"? No? Well, I'm going to pretend that you have and now are desperately hoping that I will educate you on my love of listing. Take a tour of my yearly to-do lists starting in 2005...

As any good lister might confirm, there is something more enjoyable about picking up a pen and paper and taking the time to scratch off each individual triumph. That is why I have a pile of seven-year old papers stuffed in one of my yearly journals. 

The inaugural list, originally penned in Finland, inspired by my cousin.

2006's highlights included graduating from UofM, getting a full time job and moving to NYC

2007's included saving a whopping 6K for my impending marriage, watching my bffs get married and surviving Year 1 of teaching 

2008 was the year of my wedding, finishing my Masters, and completing 2 half marathons 

2009 was the year of moving back to MI, completing my Olympic triathlon, and paying off my student loan

2010 was the year of the BABY

And you know what? That's when I put down the pen and started blogging my List of Things. I like looking back on these, seeing the things I've been able to check off, seeing which I can never seem to accomplish (cycling a century and visiting the Empire State Building have yet to happen!). I'm averaging about 50% goal completion on a yearly basis. Which reminds me I better get moving on this years list....

  

Hello, Goodbye

Opposite events occurred these past two days that have left my mind in a twist. A very happy thing; a birth A very sad thing; a death. Both such pivotal moments for the friends and family for each. One with only happy thoughts, as well they should be. The other with a wealth of thoughts ranging from the happiest to the saddest.

Whenever a friend has a baby I seem to remember the very best parts of having a newborn. I mean, exclusively. You just don't think about all the hard adjusting that comes along with that cute bundle. And I guess that's probably how people end up having more than one. Of course, now that I'm in the full-swing of having a 2.3 year-old I'm wondering if we'll ever sign up for another...:)

That is the good side of the spectrum. Then comes the very opposite of birth. Saying goodbye. I don't have the right word to describe her connection to me. Co-worker is too removed, aquaintance too cold, close friends we never were, but I think she'd be comfortable with me naming her as friend and ally in the classroom.

I've only ever called her by her last name. She witnessed my inaugural year of teaching in NYC. She tried to help me as best she could. She threated her class with dire warnings whenever they came to me for Social Studies lessons, and she helped me feel like I wasn't the only one who had gotten emotionally trampled their first year. Although she had plenty of first-hand stories to share about her many unbelievable incidents, I still couldn't believe them. Because who would, or could ever disrespect a teacher personality such as hers? Whover did was a braver or crazier student than I have met.

I sat in on a couple of her ELA lessons in hopes of having some of her power rub off on me. I don't think it ever did, or could. It would be a hilarious sight to see me try to summon her ability to yell, or give off a world-class teacher stare down like she could. But what I did learn from watching her is that she knew the students were going to listen to her. You could hear it in her voice and see it in her body-language. While my stomach knotted when her kids rounded the corner, and lined up lazily in front of my door (for a double-period of hell on earth each Friday afternoon), my face would blanch an even whiter shade of pale and I would not know if I could hook them into listening, let alone sitting down in their assigned seats. I didn't have that power that teachers like her could summon. And the kids smelled it like a dog catching a fresh scent.

But time passed, and I fell into my way of teaching. And we came to share a wall my last year at IS 52, both teaching on the same floor. And because I am who I am I used some sick days occassionally for not-so-sick time off. And every time I would return she would come into my room the next morning and look at me and say "I could tell you were gone yesterday by the amount of times I heard yelling coming through that wall!" I loved hearing that :) I guess that means my kids where total monsters, but the point is they weren't for me :) I  give credit her for helping me get to be better, and survive my first year.

 

Death makes me remember the last time we spoke, or saw eachother or reminisced about those crazy moments. And happily my last time doing all of those things with Ms. Waldman was over a delicious brunch at Essex among friends, where I got to show off my little HP baby-bump and see her in a good health.

 

Whenever encountering what I feel is the craziest, or most disrespectful or simply uncontrolable child I think to myself, "no way will it ever be harder than Waldman's 7A5 in 2006". What doesn't kill us makes us stronger though, and Waldman definatly made me a stronger teacher. And I will miss her.

Necessary and Beautiful

I was chatting with my mom a few days ago in regards to house decor and I cited some article I'd read earlier that stated you should only put things in your home which are one of two things; necessary or beautiful. I don't know what you house looks like, but mine....I could do with some lightening up.

And that got me to thinking about the things we do every day. Why shouldn't the same be true? I should  only make a priority out of things that are either necessary (making the moo-lah to eat, clothe ourselves, and shelter us) and do things that help beautify the world or space around us.
I think it comes from working where I do, and among the population that I have, but its really easy to look around and see that I have it good.

So, in an effort to align my words into actions I've done the following:

1. coach soccer now, and will commit to coaching the girls in the spring- for as much grief, heartache. angry-girl noise that comes with coaching (or just interacting) with the pre-teen set, it is waaaaayyyy worse seeing those girls drop out, not participate, lose interest or get intimidated out of sports. We need girls in sports. We need healthy bodies and good female relationships. 
2. sign up for adult ESL again- although just a 2 hour a week commitment it can feel really looong. Maybe its because the learners don't actively try to leave, or heckle you or otherwise make you not want to teach them, but 2 hours of pure English learning is a lot in one sitting :) For me anyway. Last year I tried to set up play dates with some of the women who had children. I don't think I got my point across well enough, no calls. 
3. re-heel ALL of my boots and shoes that need it- it took awhile but I located a place to save me from having to buy new shoes and toss ones that still have life in them 
4. make my coffee at home- a little piece of my soul dies when I purchase a throw away cup...and pay $4 for it...

That's it for now...not earth-shattering no, but something to think about and add to over time. 

School's in Session

Since summer break has offivially ended for me 2 weeks ago now, I have been doing less and less of the fun and more and more of the necessary. Such is life.

School welcomed me back with an even bigger caseload of ESL students this year. I service the wee ones, from Young 5's to 2nd grade. Last year most of my time was spent in kindergarten, but with the population of the school being a very transient one, many of those kids have moved elsewhere, maybe to return? But in the meantime I have plenty to do. The very best thing about being a paraprofessional is that you can work hard during the day, do what needs doing and then leave it promptly at the door when (in my case) 3pm rolls around.

Although, not for much longer...

Soccer season starts again tomorrow. Didn't I just get done coaching??? Time flies, blar de blar.

Because in my heart of hearts I am still a teacher, I need an action plan for the fall. So here it is, in no particular order:

order and drink a pumpkin spice latte immediatly upon hearing they are back

do a nice long bike ride (dare I hope a century?)

win a soccer game...

pick apples at Robinette's

volunteer at adult ESL

learn to crochet

get a family portrait done

harvest my garden!

host my annual Art Prize brunch

run my 5ks with sister Katie

trip to Ann Arbor to soak up the football atmosphere, shop at Trader Joes and revel in the back to school spirit :)

Oh Fall....I'm running toward you with open arms!



Summer Series: The Recap

I bet you were wondering what happened to week 6 of 6? Well, it came and went in a blink of an eye, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't even remember the details anymore but there were playdates, sleepovers, tickle fights and visits to the far off land of Chicago. 

Let me tell you how much I love this city. It is my kind of city. It calls for me...Truly truly. NYC had an energy that didn't quit, Chicago has a great pulse but you can always find a nearby place to take a mental time out. And please, it has Lake Michigan. What's not to love.

I resurrected my New York walking legs and promptly wore them out with huge wrong turns and epic walks.

I bought a dress at Zara that was destined to be mine. Love it. I had to justify the purchase by saying that a) it was on sale and b) I could maybe wear it to work with a cardigan. We'll see if I actually do.

I had a delicious $5 brunch with a H.S. girlfriend now residing in this great city, and who I live vicariously through occasionally :)

I met up with my BFF and her fiance direct from taking (and passing, let's be honest :) ) the NY Bar. They let me crash in their hotel, and brought us all up to the great city of Grand Rapids. They got to experience little HP in all his glory, he even sent them to bed with a gentle hug for both of them.

Thanks for coming! It's my turn to visit next :)

So I have come to the end of my summer adventures 2012. I went back to school this past Monday. Planned some plans, scheduled some schedules, etc. etc. Looks like its shaping up to be another full year. Get ready for my next chapter of adventures, hopefully to include:

completing my first bicycle century

coaching boys soccer

getting back to Chicago with Jon

at least 2 more beach trips

and more 

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