Frisbee Golf and a Roller Derby?

Just a typical Saturday.

Oh and PS: the night before, after 3 years of sitting at home, I was finally allowed to go to the Deutsche Bank annual party. I might have had to use someone's ID and keep a low profile, but no worries. I'll do what it takes for free food and drinks at TPC Sawgrass. 

Score.

This weekend, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. 

Here we are at the end of January in tank tops and shorts. 

And if you haven't played frisbee golf ever, I suggest you try because it's ALWAYS a good time.

Lucky for the friends we have and that we are always seeking adventure outdoors. This spring promises a camping trip and a smattering of festivals across the state. Bring it on, Florida. 

And because we apparently like to pack tons of activities into one day, last night we were fortunate enough to score tickets to a roller derby. LOL. We were expecting big, ferocious girls with tatts and violent smashing into walls. 

Wasn't quite as exciting as we hoped, (and could have done without the whole I-skate-in-my-panties-thing,)but it was still an experience to cross off the bucket list! 

Oh Friday

I didn't the the weekend would EVER arrive. 

My slothfulness and exhaustion might be attributed to the fact that I only had to work three days last week. I wasn't the only one that felt that way today, either. 

Good, sweet Lord. The weekend has decided to grace us with its presence!

Here's what I apparently thought was exciting since the last post:

We bought Diego a new bed at Costco since his last one was infested with, erm, coughfleascough.

It's his favorite yet (speaking of favorite, his toy I mentioned last week broke already. He chewed through the rope. Laaaaame.)

A beautiful sunset while walking with the new maid, Leanna. She'll need to learn how to cook and clean as well as the previous one; we're working on her :) 

Lots of this. It's too tempting when I drive by one to go teach my homebound student.

Although the majority of the garden died from the frost, these hardy guys are going strong. I think they're collards, while the other plans is romaine lettuce. Forgot to label them.

And long, dramatic sigh: the time of year I complain about but secretly love best. "Solo and Ensemble" forces me to practice so that I can accompany the littles on their judged performances. I need to rendezvous with the band piano more often... it provides such sweet release. 

Oh, was it foggy this week! Can't take this hot/cold indecisive weather we're having. Everyone is super sick (knock on wood!) 

Cattails? Another discovery on our walk with Diego. 

And that is all. I would have posted more, but just couldn't find the energy (or desire.) 

Came to the realization this week that maybe next school year could be way different than this one. Or maybe I want to try something else out. All I know is that's something's gotta change.

Lots of prayer, lots of thinking to do. But I know God's got it under control :) 

The beach

While people that lived outside of Florida enjoyed snow and skiing and whatever this weekend, we found ourselves on a blanket at the beach, lazily playing Bocce and tossing Diego's toy into the waves. No big deal.

Happy to enjoy the sun, but secretly wishing we had snow to play in...

It's his favorite

Diego has a new favorite toy. In his almost two years of existence, he's never been so excited this long about a particular item. Usually they're destroyed by now, but this one is giving us a run for our money.

 The only problem is that the toy looks kind of like.... well..... use your imagination I suppose.

I swear it didn't even cross our minds when we bought it :)

silly me

I locked the keys in the Exploder yesterday. It was one of those I'm-jumping-out-really-quickly-to-get-the-dry-cleaning-ohhhhhhh-i did-not-just-do-that moments. The ones where mid-shut you realize your blunder but alas, it's too late.  The door was open a smidgen, so I 'borrowed' a coat hanger from the dry cleaners and attempted to break in for half an hour. To no avail. 

Add another minor detail to the mix: the phone was also trapped inside the car. 

I refused to call/pay for a locksmith knowing I was only an hour away from Michael coming home. So I meandered over to Publix where I prayed to see someone I knew who wouldn't mind taking me to the house or back to work. And of course, there was no one. 

Tried calling Mike from Publix's phone; he didn't pick up. 

I finally gave up and after sitting on the bench outside for 15 minutes, resorted to walking the mile or so back to school. In the rain. 

As I exited the Publix parking lot, lo and behold, (cue angels singing and bright shafts of light,) this parent that I always happen to run into (it's a running joke now between the two of us) pulls up next to me and yells, "Get in the car!" (Apparently I was looking a bit distressed?) Mind you, this is the same mom who pulled over to see if I needed assistance when I was stranded on the side of the road with a dead alternator. 

I was crying and laughing and so filled with joy that it was her, because when I prayed earlier I threw in "And it wouldn't hurt to run into Grace's mom at Publix..." Seriously. What an answer to prayer... so trivial but it served as a pleasant reminder that we are loved by a God who cares about even the smallest of details. 

Happy Friday :) 

Rootin' Tootin'

I love the girls I work with.

They keep me sane, love and provide the support I need to function and make it through this year!

We had the best time this week kickin' it at Catie's. The night was made complete with...

 SWEET LOLA!!

And Diego came too, although he was too much of a city dog. Didn't like the shotgun noise, riding in Cam, or being outside alone. He's got a lot of learning to do from Boomer about how to be a man. 

We trekked the woods in Cam, taking out trees and pretending like we found trails. 

I'll be surprised if Gentry ever invites us back...

Aaaaand we shot guns. 'Nuff said. 

Girl-time adds joy to life-- thank you to Catie for creating a special time for us!

I love my 8th grade team! Let's do it again soon!

Dinner this Week:

I generally spend all this time planning meals for the week, only to forget what it was I intended to make. Maybe this year I'll be better about writing it down and following through-I also want to use the crockpot way more, because it is a glorious invention that makes my life easier! Here's the menu, in no particular order:

Falafel Burgers

http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/falafel-burgers/

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi with baked avocado fries

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ginger-glazed-mahi-mahi/detail.aspx

http://bethcooks.squarespace.com/journal/2011/1/6/baked-avocado-fries.html

Chicken and quinoa soup in the crockpot

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/01/quinoa-chicken-crockpot-stewhtml.html

And tonight? Asian dumplings from the frozen food section. Mmmmmmm. 

How we like to spend a beautiful day:

With Diego, and in the woods! Not many options around St. Auggie, and one day I hope that we can drive less than an hour away and be straight up in the mountains. But for now, a nice jaunt around the intercoastal is sufficient to make our pup's day. 

I love my dad!!

I don't know what you are. But you are cool. 

Worthy of a Christmas card..

I love our town. I'm sure I've said it, but I never tire of walking around the fort and watching the boats out on the water. Today they were shooting off cannons, and we were in the right place at the right time!

Our hike/walk was followed by dinner at La Herencia, a Cuban place I've always wanted to try that's located away from the tourists on my favorite street in St. Augustine. The "Media Noche" pressed sandwich was delish-- I will be returning for breakfast and maybe some Argentine tango...

Diego was a good boy while we ate, and loved the attention from ever passerby. 

In fact, he's quite popular downtown. Frequently asked questions/comments:

"Is that a lab?" (Yes.)

"Is he a chocolate lab?" (Yes.) 

"Is he part great dane?" (No. Just a freakishly tall lab.)

"He's so beautiful!" (Yes, we know.)

"I have a _________ (insert type of dog here.) His name is __________ (insert name.) (Now comes a random story or fact about said dog.)"

"Can I pet him?" (Yes. Fail to mention he just rolled in something dead in the woods.) 

He saw a westie today, and, thinking it was Oliver, went NUTS. The owners nervously chuckled as an 80 pound behemoth lunged for their fur baby, tail wagging 90 miles an hour. Poor D, not Oliver. 

insert whine here.

Last of the gas tank metaphor-- it's on empty. Done. A certain class of mine bombed the midterm. Epic fail. Bring on the shoulder knots and tears, the "I suck" thoughts and "Maybe teaching isn't my thing."

But then I crank up Fleet Foxes and pick up my fur baby from daycare, sit outside on the porch while the sun sets and the wind picks up (promising a chilly night,) and a calming peace takes over. Yes, these moments are discouraging, but we'll move past this. I'll continue to teach them the best that I can, love them with all I have, and pray for the best.

And by the time 2014 comes around, when my salary is tied to their performances, I'll (God willing!) be loooooong gone.

So far, so good.

Up to today, my tank was still pretty full. After a lovely meeting and talk of the upcoming Florida Writes/FCAT, I'm about halfway right now. I've still got a ways to go until empty, but need to consider refueling some time in the near future. Oh wait, I have a 4 day-weekend* coming up! Win for me. (*Note that I still have to work on Tuesday, but it's all about me cleaning/planning/socializing and no students will be present. That pretty much equals a holiday in my book.) 

I love starting a new year because it challenges me to stay focused on my health. I'm praying that I'll stick with it for a while and not fall back into an abysmal pit of gorging my face with pizza and cookies while sinking into the couch. I've exercised almost every day by starting back with boot camp and training for the Donna 1/2. And on days I don't feel like doing anything, I at least power walk with Diego. (I'm not ashamed to admit I power walk. And I do it pretty fiercely, too.) I've also been tracking my food intake with "My Fitness Pro," which REALLY does help because when it comes down to it, I don't need that extra piece of chocolate at work, or that slice of pizza that was sitting in the planning room.

For me, to eat right I have to snack all day long. And I've realized I'm so much like my dad in many ways, one being that I'm okay with eating the same foods every day. So my snacks are a yogurt after 2nd period, lunch, carrots after school with a can of seltzer, a tangerine an hour later, then I get to come home to THIS:

I believe I might have an obsession with avocado now, especially since they are in-season and cheap. I seriously can't get over how good they are. 

Anyways, have a good week and I'll try to post more frequently :) 

D's all about the snuggling, especially when it's cold outside.

Note the three cups of coffee on my desk. No wonder I was feelin' good at the beginning of the week...

First weekend of 2012 (last weekend doesn't count)

I find it hard to sleep when Mike isn't here... I sit around and play on my phone for forever. So why not blog from my convenient, recently discovered blogger app? Sure, why not.

The weekend was lovely. We celebrated a friend's birthday with a fun night out in jax beach at this place called Green Room. I love it as much as I love Bold City, maybe more. It's the perfect ambiance... Ping pong, sometimes bluegrass and the occasional dog running around. Fantastic.

Saturday provided gorgeous weather, and after assisting erick with creating a short film for his blog, it was outside we went for extreme bocce. We watched the Lions game that night and ate delicious food cooked be erick.

And today, we checked out a new church (more on that later,) watched more football, completed a little obligatory cleaning... And I got off my lazy rear to run 5 miles. Woot! I'm sore and my neck hurts a bit, but it feels good to care about my health again. Here's to sticking to it!! Tonight we ventured to Taco Lu's which was worth the trek, and now I'm cozied up in bed with the pup while Mike was forced to stay out for a little longer because of a ride situation.... Laaaame. Hope your weekend delivered and you are ready for what's in store this week'